Russia has reacted with outrage to accusations from the US that Moscow is working on a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine. As is so often the case, supposedly sensational news was being spread by the US without any basis for it, the Russian embassy in Washington said on Saturday. “As usual, no evidence is presented.”
The Russian embassy called on the US side to end the “information pressure” and move on to factual work. “Russia is against war. We are in favor of a diplomatic solution to all international problems.” The statements made by the US are “unfounded” and have not been confirmed by anything, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state news agency Tass on Friday evening.
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Earlier, a US official said there was information “that Russia has already deployed a group of agents to conduct a false flag operation in eastern Ukraine.”
The Russian agents are “trained in urban warfare and the use of explosives to commit acts of sabotage against Russia’s own proxy forces,” the US official said. “Russia is laying the groundwork to have the option of inventing a pretext for invasion, including through acts of sabotage and intelligence operations.”
The Russian armed forces plan to start these activities a few weeks before a military invasion, which could start “between mid-January and mid-February,” the government official said. The aim is to accuse Ukraine of “preparing an imminent attack on Russian forces in eastern Ukraine”.
White House: Russian agents ‘manufacture provocations’
Information indicated that Russian agents would also begin “manufacturing provocations” on state and social media to justify Russian intervention and sow divisions in Ukraine, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday . Russian officials are also spreading stories about the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine and the increasing militancy of Ukrainian leaders.
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These reports “also blame the West for the escalation of tensions and point to humanitarian problems in Ukraine that could be solved by Russian intervention. And it promotes Russian patriotism to encourage the country’s support for military action,” Psaki continued. The number of corresponding Russian-language posts on social media with this content increased by 200 percent in December.
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In view of a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, the West fears that Russia is currently preparing an invasion of the neighboring country after annexing Crimea in 2014. The Kremlin categorically denies this.
At the same time, he is demanding agreements from the USA and NATO that would ban the eastward expansion of NATO and the establishment of US military bases in countries in the former Soviet sphere of influence.
Talks between the US and Russia, a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council and talks within the framework of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) brought no breakthrough this week. (With AFP and dpa)
