US accuses Russia of staging pretext for Ukraine invasion

But non-disclosure of intelligence details means Moscow can claim that US is fabricating evidence

WASHINGTON • The White House has accused Moscow of sending saboteurs into eastern Ukraine to stage an incident that could provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with a pretext for ordering an invasion of the country.

The administration did not release details of the evidence it had collected, but White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the operatives were trained in urban warfare and explosives.

“Russia is laying the groundwork to have the option of fabricating a pretext for invasion,” Ms Psaki said on Friday, “including through sabotage activities and information operations, by accusing Ukraine of preparing an imminent attack against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine”.

She said the Russian military planned to begin these activities several weeks before an invasion, which could begin between midJanuary and mid-February. She said Moscow was using the same playbook as it did in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, a part of Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called the intelligence about the operation “very credible” when asked about it at a news briefing.