The United States accused, Thursday, February 3, the Kremlin of preparing an operation aimed at suggesting that Ukrainian forces attacked Russia. This would be enough to stir up indignation against the Ukrainian government and provide a pretext for military action against Kiev.
“We believe that Russia could produce a very violent propaganda video, which would show corpses and actors playing the role of mourners, as well as images of destroyed places with Ukrainian or Western military equipment”said John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, during a press briefing.
The United States had previously raised the possibility of Russia carrying out a so-called “false flag” operation, where a country uses enemy recognition marks to confuse, but this is the first time they have spoken videos with such precision. “We have information that the Russians probably want to fabricate a pretext for an invasion, which is very much in line with their ways”Mr. Kirby said. “It is likely that the Russian government, we believe, is preparing a fake attack by Ukrainian soldiers or intelligence agents on Russian territory or Russian speakers [d’Ukraine] »he added.
This false attack would give Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, a pretext to invade the country. “We have seen this kind of activity by the Russians in the past and we think it is important, when we have this kind of information, to make it public”, noted the spokesperson. He pointed out that such tactics are usually “approved at the highest level of the Russian government”.
“Clear and shocking evidence”
According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, this video “is one of the options that the Russian government is preparing as a pretext to launch and potentially justify military aggression against Ukraine”. The United States does not know if Moscow has decided to implement this plan, said the spokesman for American diplomacy.
‘Russia has signaled it wants to continue diplomatic exchanges to achieve de-escalation, but acts like this suggest otherwise’he noted.
Asked insistently about the lack of evidence to support his statements, Mr. Price explained that his information came from the intelligence services, without further details. “I will not detail what is in our possession”he said. “I leave it to your judgement”.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, for her part, called the US announcements “clear and shocking evidence of Russia’s unwarranted aggressiveness and covert (Moscow) activities to destabilize Ukraine”. “The only way out for Moscow is de-escalation, withdrawal and commitment to finding a diplomatic path”, she tweeted.
This is not the first time that Russia has been accused of preparing an action in Ukraine. At the end of January, in a press release, the head of British diplomacy denounced “the extent of Russian activity aimed at undermining Ukraine”. According to the British Foreign Office, “ex-Ukrainian MP Evgeni Murayev is considered an ally they would like to see in power”but he is not the only one: the Russian intelligence services maintain “ties with many former Ukrainian politicians”.
Continuation of diplomatic efforts
In addition, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, spoke with his Russian counterparts, Vladimir Poutine, then Ukrainian, Volodymyr Zelensky, about the means of reducing the tensions around Ukraine, announced the Elysée in a statement. .
“The discussions focused on two priorities. The first, capitalizing on recent positive progress in the “Normandy format” [Russie, Ukraine, France et Allemagne] to achieve a lasting solution in the Donbass”the region of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, says the French presidency. “The second, to initiate the conversation on the conditions of the strategic balance in Europe, which should make it possible to observe a reduction in the risks on the ground and guarantee security on the continent”she adds.
It was for the French president and his Russian counterpart the third interview in a week. They agreed to continue the dialogue, said the Russian presidency, while a trip by Emmanuel Macron to Moscow next week is envisaged.
For his part, after his meeting with Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “Continuation of the dialogue with @EmmanuelMacron on the fight against security challenges and an acceleration of the peace process within the framework of the “Normandy format””.
Continued dialogue with @EmmanuelMacron on countering security challenges and stepping up the peace process within… https://t.co/r8HLTgTGp1