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Russia is in a “state of war,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday, in a marked escalation in the official language used to describe Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this alliance formed, when the collective West became a participant on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us,” Peskov told state-affiliated newspaper Argumenty i Fakty.

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Peskov’s comments are not the first time that the Kremlin has referred to its military campaign as a war: In late 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in Moscow that the country’s goal “is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war.”

Calling the conflict a “war” was effectively illegal in Russia, and the Kremlin implemented a law making it illegal to spread “misinformation” about its invasion of Ukraine.

Peskov on Friday also described an “internal mobilization,” a comment that follows rumors that Russia may soon mobilize more soldiers to the front lines.