- According to the US government, Russia is in the process of preparing an invasion of Ukraine with secret agents and acts of sabotage.
- A group of agents is said to be operating under false flags in Ukraine, attacking Russian officials and institutions, ultimately justifying Russian intervention.
- Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for a tripartite meeting with the Presidents of the United States and Russia.
“We have information that suggests Russia has already deployed a group of agents to conduct a false flag operation in eastern Ukraine,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. These agents are trained in “urban warfare” and in the handling of explosives in order to carry out acts of sabotage against representatives of Russia.
The information also indicated that they would begin to “manufacture provocations” on state and social media to justify Russian intervention and sow divisions in Ukraine, Psaki said. Russian officials would spread narratives about the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine and the increasing militancy of Ukrainian leaders.
“All of this is spreading misinformation,” Psaki said. “These media 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.”
We are aware of this and we see what they are doing.
The number of corresponding Russian-language social media posts with this content increased by 200 percent in December. Psaki and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stressed that Russia’s actions had already been seen in 2014 with the annexation of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. “We’re aware of that and we see what they’re doing,” Kirby said.
Tensions have recently increased significantly
Tensions in the Ukraine conflict had increased sharply recently. This week there were therefore discussions at various levels. On Wednesday, the 30 NATO countries and Russia held consultations for the first time in two and a half years. There was also a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday. Representatives of Russia and the USA had already met in Geneva on Monday.