Russia preparing 'false-flag' operation as pretext to Ukraine invasion, U.S. intelligence indicates

The U.S. reportedly has information indicating Russia to be preparing a "false-flag operation in eastern Ukraine" in an attempt at creating pretext for an invasion of the former Soviet republic, CNN reports, per a U.S. official.

Notably, Ukranian government servers were also hit by a "massive" overnight cyberattack on Friday, which, among other things, replaced the homepage for the Foreign Ministry website with a temporary message warning Ukranians to "be afraid and expect the worst," writes CBS News.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Though a claim of responsibility for the attack has yet to be made, Ukraine's ambassador in Washington, D.C. had just hours before told CBS News her country "believed a cyberattack would precede any major military action by [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's forces," CBS News reports. Ukraine has also blamed parties with links to the Russian government for previous cyber assaults.

The U.S. official speaking with CNN said the White House thinks Russia could be prepping for a Ukraine invasion "that may result in widespread human rights violations and war crimes should diplomacy fail to meet their objectives."

"The Russian military plans to begin these activities several weeks before a military invasion, which could begin between mid-January and mid-February," the official said. "We saw this playbook in 2014 with Crimea."

The official also noted how Russian influence actors have already begun preparing Russian audiences for an attack, a strategy involving emphasizing narratives of anti-Ukranian propaganda.

Explore More
Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.