Fake Video Allegations
Is Russia planning a pretext for Ukraine invasion?
2/3/2022 9:51 p.m
The situation between Russia and Ukraine is serious. According to the United States, Putin is only waiting for a “spark” to justify military operations against Ukraine. A video in which a fake attack by Ukraine on Russia is staged is an option, the US intelligence agency says.
According to the US, Russia is considering several options to create a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine. One possibility is the production of a propaganda video for which a fake attack would be staged, a senior government official in Washington said, citing US intelligence information.
The content of the film would be the aftermath of an explosion and equipment from Ukraine or allied nations would be shown. Such a video, if released, could give Russian President Vladimir Putin “the spark he needs to initiate and justify military action against Ukraine,” the US official said.
The US wants to prevent possible plans by Russia
“We don’t know definitively that this is the path they will take, but we do know that this is an option that is being considered,” Deputy US National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer told MSNBC. The senior government official, in turn, said the US went public with these allegations to discourage Russia from actually implementing such plans.
The USA and NATO on the one hand and Russia on the other accuse each other of escalating the Ukraine crisis. With the planned stationing of further US troops in Eastern Europe, the crisis will be exacerbated, the President’s Office in Moscow said. NATO, in turn, expressed concern about a major Russian exercise in Belarus, which borders Ukraine.
However, the government in Moscow rejects accusations from the West that it is preparing an invasion. Instead, Russia is demanding security guarantees from the US and NATO, such as a commitment that Ukraine will not join the transatlantic military alliance. The Alliance rejects this.