On September 10 at 18:00, a meeting will take place on the topic “Special Operation: the Language of War” as part of the project “How has the Russian language changed in the 2020s?”

We will discuss new words related to mobilization, the army, losses, and weaponry together with philosopher and war researcher, Arseniy Kumankov, a research fellow at the University of Mainz (Germany).

With our guest, we will examine many words and expressions that have appeared since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for example: «СВО» (Special Military Operation), «хлопок» (explosion), «задымление» (smoke formation), «жест доброй воли» (gesture of goodwill), «могилизация» (“grave-mobilization”), «денацификация» (denazification), «перегруппировка» (regrouping), «самострел» (self-inflicted wound), «закреп» (consolidation/entrenchment), «сброс» (drop), «ЧВК-шники» (PMC fighters), «самоликвидация» (self-destruction), «калибровать» (“to calibrate” with missiles), «геранизация» (use of “Geran” drones), and «диванная армия» (couch army).

Join us to better understand today’s war-related neologisms and to ask your questions to Arseniy Kumankov. Admission is free!

The meeting will take place at the cultural space Albatross, Kanavaranta 7 F, 00160 Helsinki.

The discussion will be held in Russian. For those unable to attend in person, an online stream will be available.

The project is organized by Suomi–Venäjä-seura in partnership with Initiative FoReDi, supported by the Juhlarahasto grant. The aim of the project is to promote better understanding of changes in the Russian language among Russia specialists living in Finland. At the end of the series, a Russian–Finnish dictionary of new words and expressions of the 2020s will be compiled.