Russia ‘plotting fake attack to justify invasion'

THE United States has accused the Kremlin of an elaborate plot to fabricate a “false flag” attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to invade its neighbour.

- Michael Howie

The Pentagon claimed Russia would release a propaganda video showing staged explosions, as well as corpses and actors playing grieving mourners.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov today called the fake attack claim “nonsense” and the US did not provide evidence to back it up.

The alleged plan was described in declassified intelligence shared with Ukrainian officials and European allies.