Britain has accused Russia of “unprovoked aggression” against Ukraine following reports of a plot by Moscow to create a pretext for an invasion using a faked video.
The New York Times reported that the US had obtained intelligence about the plan which involved staging a fabricated attack by the Ukrainian military either on Russian territory or against Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
In a statement, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said such conduct was “completely unacceptable” and called on Russia to desist and return to the path of diplomacy.
“This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia’s unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine,” she said.
“This bellicose intent towards a sovereign, democratic country is completely unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
“The UK and our allies will continue to expose Russian subterfuge and propaganda and call it out for what it is. The only way forward is for Russia to de-escalate, desist and commit to a diplomatic pathway.”
The New York Times, quoting senior US administration officials, said that Russia intended to use the video to accuse Kyiv of genocide against Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population.
The paper said it would use the outrage that it created either to justify an attack or have separatist leaders in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine invite a Russian intervention.
According to the report, the planned video was intended to be elaborate, with graphic images of the corpse-strewn aftermath of an explosion and footage of destroyed locations.
It was even said to have been meant to include faked Ukrainian military equipment, Turkish-made drones and actors playing Russian-speaking mourners.
British officials indicated that having carried out their own analysis of the intelligence relating to the reports, they had “high confidence” Russia was planning to engineer a pretext for an invasion.
On a visit this week to show support for the government in Kyiv, Boris Johnson said there was “clear and present danger” of an attack and warned of punishing sanctions the moment the “first Russian toecap” stepped further into Ukrainian territory.
Last month the Foreign Office said that it had intelligence that Russia – which has an estimated 130,000 troops massed along its borders with Ukraine – was plotting to install a puppet government in Kyiv.
