UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has described the Pentagon's unsubstantiated claims about Russia's purported preparations to release a fake video as a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine "shocking evidence".
"This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia's unprovoked aggression and underhanded activity to destabilise Ukraine. This bellicose intent towards a sovereign, democratic country is completely unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms," Truss said in a statement late Thursday.
On Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby claimed that Russia was planning to use a fabricated video of a Ukrainian military attack in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for an incursion into the country. The Pentagon believes Russia is going to produce some graphic propaganda video, which would contain corpses and actors depicting mourners, destroyed locations and military equipment. No explanation was provided as to why this would be necessary, given that according to US state media over 3,000 civilians have already been killed in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in 2014.
Russian Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov has refuted the accusations, pointing out that Russia "never" does such things.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, when pressed by journalists on Thursday during press-briefing to provide specific evidence to back the US administration's claims, said that the public announcement is evidence because it is based on "intelligence information" that was "declassified".
The situation in Ukraine has worsened over the past several months, after the United States accused Russia of a troop build-up near the border with Ukraine and of allegedly preparing an invasion. Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying it does not plan to attack any country, including Ukraine, but reserves the right to move troops within its sovereign territory. Russia has also warned that NATO's plans to expand further eastward, including in Ukraine, represent a threat to its national security.