The Pentagon says the U.S. has obtained intelligence indicating that the Russian government developed a plan to stage a false attack that would depict the Ukrainian military or its intelligence forces assaulting Russian territory to help establish a pretext for military action against Ukraine.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday the defense department has "information that indicates that Russia is already working actively to create a pretext for a potential invasion" of Ukraine.
Kirby said the operation has been approved by "the highest level of the Kremlin."
He says the scheme includes production of a graphic propaganda video that would show staged explosions and would use corpses and actors depicting grieving mourners, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The plan, which was revealed in declassified intelligence shared with Ukrainian officials and European allies in recent days, is the latest allegation by the U.S. and Britain that Russia is plotting to use a false pretext to go to war against Ukraine.
The White House in December accused Russia of developing a "false-flag" operation to create pretext for an invasion.
