The Russian government planned to release a fake video it already produced depicting a staged attack that they claimed would show Ukrainian soldiers attacking either Russian forces in Russian territory or setting on Russian-speaking Ukrainian civilians, the New York Times reports.
The Biden Administration is releasing their knowledge of the plan to head off the claim before the Russians carry out their plot, which they would use to justify sending some of the 100,000 troops they have along the border into Ukraine. US officials said the video, which some have seen, is elaborate and realistic, even depicting dead bodies in the streets and destroyed buildings.
Russia recently started a social media disinformation campaign falsely claiming that the Ukrainian military is attacking and killing large groups of Russian-speaking and pro-Russian leaning Ukrainians.