American Intelligence: Russia plans to build a pretext to attack Ukraine

The New York Times reports that Russia's plan includes the use of a false video in which an attack is staged that Moscow will present as carried out by the Ukrainian army, either Russian territory or against Russian supporters in eastern Ukraine.

The paper reports that the plan, which the United States hopes to prevent by publicizing, is targeted for the video to be used to accuse Ukraine of <x0genocide”.

“Later (Russia) will use the indignation of the video to justify taking an attack, or to push separatist leaders into the Donba region of eastern Ukraine, to seek a Russian intervention”, the New York Times says.

According to the paper, American officials will not publish any direct evidence of the Russian plan, or details of how they learned about it, not to compromise their resources and methods.

The Russian disinformative campaign, which is at the centre of false charges of genocide against Ukraine, as well as the recent Russian Parliament's actions to recognise the governance of separatist regions in Ukraine, are in line with the findings of American intelligence.

While the newspaper “Washington Post” reports the administration plans to make this classified information public Thursday.

The paper quoted sources as aware of the Russian plan as saying it was drafted by Russian security services and is in advanced stages of preparation.

“Plan has connections, but it is a separate plan by other plots that have been discovered by Western intelligence services, including the deployment of sabotagers from Russia to eastern Ukraine and another scheme for which the British government announced last month, aimed at destabilising the government and placing a pro-rus leader at its helm”, officials told Washington Post newspaper.

The White House said last month that US intelligence officials have concluded that Russia had deployed its operatives in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine to commit sabotage acts and blame Ukraine for such a thing, thus creating an excuse to conquer it.

Russia has denied plans for the invasion of Ukraine, but has gathered thousands of troops on the border with its neighbour. /voa