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U.S. intelligence officials determined that a Russian effort had begun to create a pretext for their troops to invade. UkraineThe White House said on Friday.
Biden management press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters intelligence findings showed Moscow Pre-positioned operators to conduct a “false flag operation” in the East Ukraine.
He said Russia also paved the way with a social media disinformation campaign. Ukraine as an aggressor preparing a close attack against the Russian-backed forces in the east Ukraine.
His comments came as officials Pentagon He also said that Russia sent secret agents. Ukraine paving the way for an invasion similar to the one that caused MoscowThe annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Pentagon Chief Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Russia is “actively working to create a potential pretext for invasion – a move against Ukraine.”
He said the plan is likely to include false flag operations, in which undercover Russian agents carried out attacks targeting Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.
The aim would be to make the attacks appear as if they were being carried out by Ukrainian forces to create an impetus for Russian military units to later enter Ukraine and defend the Russian-speaking population.
“They have already started producing Ukrainian provocations, both in the state and on social media, to justify a pretext for an attack,” Kirby said.
The revelations about potential fraudulent operations came after a large-scale cyberattack on several Ukrainian government websites on Friday. It was not immediately clear who carried out the cyberattack, although US intelligence had previously blamed Moscow for such actions.
Russian officials denied claims that Moscow was preparing the ground for the invasion. A Kremlin spokesperson told Agence France-Presse on Friday that the claim was unfounded.
Mr Kirby said agents in Ukraine at the moment are likely a mix of military units, intelligence agents and mercenary organizations such as the paramilitary Wagner Group, possibly with links to the Russian government.
“We’ve seen this kind of thing before outside of Russia,” a Pentagon spokesperson said. “When there isn’t a real crisis to meet their needs, they’ll make one up. That’s why we’re watching for that.”
The Pentagon has yet to confirm whether Friday’s cyberattack on Ukrainian agencies was linked to a future Russian invasion. “It’s too early to say whether this was part of a ‘false flag’ operation,” said Mr Kirby. “We are not at the point of attribution right now.”
The Florida National Guard and approximately 200 US Army soldiers are in Ukraine on a mission to “advise and assist” the Ukrainian military. Mr Kirby did not say whether they would withdraw in the event of a Russian invasion.
“Strength protection remains paramount in our minds,” he said. “We will take all appropriate and appropriate decisions to make sure our people are safe.”
While the Biden administration has ruled out US military power in the event of a Russian invasion, US officials said the consequences for Moscow would be dire if it invaded.
At the Pentagon, Mr Kirby said it was not too late for Moscow to step back across the border. “We do not believe that Mr. Putin has made a final decision yet,” he said. “As long as that is the case, we believe there is still time and space for diplomacy.”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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