U.S. says Russia is developing video of fabricated attack as pretext for invading Ukraine
Ukraine.
Senior administration officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said the video will likely depict graphic scenes of a staged false explosion with corpses, actors depicting mourners, and images of destroyed locations and military equipment.
The military equipment used in the fabricated attack will be made to look like it is Ukrainian or from allied nations, the officials said.
U.S. officials believe that Russia will release the fake video publicly to make it appear that Ukraine is a threat to Moscow’s security and to justify a military assault on its neighbor.
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The intelligence comes as U.S. officials have warned of a possible Russian attack against Ukraine and as the U.S. and its NATO allies have been engaged in diplomatic talks with Moscow to avert a war. The Kremlin is known for its robust propaganda machine, and Western officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is using various tactics to undermine Ukraine’s democracy.
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, but Putin insists he has no plans to invade. U.S. officials have stressed they don’t know if Putin has decided to invade but fear that the troop buildup could be a prelude to an invasion.
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