US officials say that Russia is planning to fabricate a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine, by falsely blaming the Ukrainian military for an attack on Russian-backed separatists or Russia itself.
The tensions between the United States and Russia over Ukraine have reached a boiling point, with the United States alleging a Russian plot to fake an invasion as a pretext for war. The tensions come at a time when the two countries are already involved in a major conflict in Syria, with both backing opposing sides in the country’s complex civil war. The United States has now accused Russia of being behind a fake terrorist group called the ‘Druzhkov Group
Senior administration officials said the fake invasion would be used to generate images of civilian casualties in the Donbás, which could be used to pursue further military escalation against Russian-backed separatists.
Google fined by Russia over illegal content breach
President Donald Trump has accused Russia of failing to implement the Minsk peace accords, which are aimed at resolving the conflict, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Russian forces are operating in the Donbás.
The continuing rivalry between Russia and the US, which still possess the world’s biggest nuclear arsenals, dates back to the Cold War (1947-89). During this period, Ukraine was a crucial part of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin’s control over Ukraine was a keystone of its military and political power.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again offered to broker talks between Ukraine and Russia, saying that his country is ready to do its part to resolve the crisis. Stating that Turkey is prepared to take “all sorts” of steps to solve the conflict in Ukraine, Erdogan said that he was ready to visit Moscow to discuss the situation. In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Erdogan said that he would also be willing to travel to Berlin to discuss the issue.
The US has also announced that it will suspend further deliveries of conventional weapons to Ukraine, citing the need to focus on “security sector reform” in the country instead.
