Top ranking officials from the Biden administration confirmed on Thursday that the United States (US) intelligence reports have suggested that the Kremlin is plotting to stage a fake attack by Ukraine against Russia, which will serve as justification for its invasion of Ukraine.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, in a briefing, mentioned that Russia’s plan includes fabricating “a very graphic propaganda video” that would include the aftermath of an explosion, corpses and actors, images of destroyed locations and Western-supplied Ukrainian military equipment — all in an effort to create a false pretext that justifies Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kirby added that such a plan is “right out of their playbook,” saying that the Biden administration deemed it important to call out Moscow on such matters.
The State Department spokesperson Ned Price stressed that the intelligence was recently obtained and declassified in an effort to deter Russia from following through. “We are publicising it now, however, in order to lay bare the extent of Russia’s destabilising actions towards Ukraine,” he said. Price added that the video propaganda is one of many options the Kremlin has under its belt, saying, “We don’t know if Russia will necessarily use this or another option in coming days.”
Another high-ranking official, Deputy National Security adviser Jon Finer, told MSNBC that Russia’s plan is “extremely elaborate,” adding that Washington is unaware whether or not Moscow will follow through with the plan. This is the second time in the past few months that the US has accused Russia of planning a “false flag” operation.
According to NPR, journalists in the briefing room demanded Price to provide substantive evidence regarding these accusations and noted that Price’s use of terms such as “false flag” was popularised by far-right conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones. In response, Price said, “If you doubt the credibility of the US government, of the British government, of other governments and want to, you know, find solace in information that the Russians are putting out, that is for you to do.”
Russia’s Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov dismissed America’s allegations denying any false flag plans regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine while speaking to CNN.
In a similar situation last week, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss claimed its intelligence reports suggested that Kremlin is planning to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine. Truss, like Price, also failed to provide solid evidence backing London’s claim.
Washington’s accusations against Russia come after the Pentagon announced it is deploying 3,000 US soldiers to Poland and Romania in an effort to bolster North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces at the eastern flank. Last December, US intelligence warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent in early January citing the presence of 175,000 Russian troops along Ukraine’s border. Diplomatic talks between the US and Russia have failed to de-escalate tensions as Washington and Moscow continue to hold each other responsible for the situation.