Approved at a high level in Moscow. US intelligence declassifies plan for possible Russian invasion of Ukraine – WP

US officials say they have evidence that Russia has developed a plan, approved at a high level in Moscow to create a pretext for invading Ukraine, reports The Washington Post.

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Details of the plan have been declassified by US intelligence and are expected to be released by the Biden administration on Thursday, three people familiar with the matter told the publication.

The alleged operation would involve broadcasting images of civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine — and possibly abroad in Russia — to a wide audience to create an excuse to invade Ukraine, sources said.

Whether the losses will be real or fake, according to one US official who wished to remain anonymous, is unclear.

People familiar with the plan say it was developed by Russian intelligence agencies and is in the final stages of preparation.

WP elaborates that this plan is connected to, but separate from, other plots that have been uncovered by Western intelligence.

“Of course, they are all connected, but this is a specific operation designed to create a potential pretext,” said one US official who is familiar with the matter.

On January 14, The Guardian, citing sources, reported that Russia has already deployed saboteurs on the territory of Ukraine for a special operation that could lead to a military invasion.

On the same day, CNN, citing an unnamed US official, reported that Russia is preparing to conduct a special operation in the Donbas under a false flagto create an excuse to invade. The United States has information indicating that Russia has already trained a group of operatives for this special operation, the source said.

CNN noted that this information is consonant with previously made statements of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The threat of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia has been pulling troops to the Ukrainian borders since the end of October 2021. According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, as of the end of January we are talking about about 130 thousand Russian military.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Washington was seeing signs that Russia will decide on a new invasion of Ukraine before mid-February.

Western media reported that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could be carried out in early 2022, up to 175,000 Russian military personnel would be involved in this. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov said that Ukrainian authorities do not see a direct threat of Russian invasion. According to Danilov, a full-scale invasion is physically impossible and there is no reason to panic.

At the same time, the Russian leadership denies information about the preparation of the invasion, stating that the transfer of troops is an internal affair of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Kremlin declares possible provocations from Ukraine and allegedly plans of Kiev to return the occupied territories by military means.

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