US: Russia prepares provocations as a pretext for invading Ukraine

Russian President Dmitry Peshkov’s spokesman described the Western media reports and possible reports of possible provocations by Russia in Donbass (eastern Ukraine), where a group of agents had been sent for that purpose, as non-existent and unsubstantiated.

“So far these statements are baseless and unsubstantiated,” he told TASS, commenting on various Western media reports, including CNN, which cited a source in the US government.

Earlier, CNN quoted a US government source as saying that the United States had information that Russia was preparing “foreign-flagged provocations” in eastern Ukraine. According to CNN, the US considers that Russia “has already developed a group of agents” to conduct a secret operation in eastern Ukraine. According to a CNN source, this could be a reason to “justify the invasion” of Russian forces in Ukraine.

A U.S. official also said earlier that the United States was concerned that Russia was preparing for an invasion of Ukraine that could lead to widespread human rights abuses and war crimes if the diplomat did not its goals.

“As part of its plans, Russia is laying the groundwork for the possibility of building a pretext for invasion, including through sabotage and intelligence operations, accusing Ukraine of preparing an imminent attack on Russian forces in eastern Ukraine,” he said. the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Similar reports, according to TASS, were published by The Washington Post, and Agence France-Presse and Bloomberg.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov had earlier said in a statement that Russia posed no threat and did not rule out the possibility of such provocations, justifying by military means, will have the most serious consequences.

Source: AMPE