U.S. to allege Russian plot to stage attack as pretext for Ukraine ...

After Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed over separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine by a Russian surface-to-air missile, for instance, Russian state news initially suggested the Ukrainian air force had been trying to shoot down Putin’s plane but accidentally hit the Boeing aircraft.The propaganda video that the Biden administration accused Russia of planning would accuse Ukrainians of committing grave crimes against Russian-speaking people, officials said.“The video will be released to underscore a threat to Russia’s security and to underpin military operations,” the senior administration official said. The senior administration official said that if Moscow changes its recognition posture, it could then claim that the push for independence led Ukraine to attack the territory.“To build the case for independence, Russian politicians are advancing this legislation on the false basis that Ukraine is preparing to forcibly retake this territory and that Kyiv has systematically denied local residents of their basic rights,” the senior administration official said, noting that Russia could portray military action as “coming at the request of a sovereign government for assistance.”The staged video is part of a long-running effort by the Russian government to destabilize Ukraine through disinformation campaigns, officials said.A separate operation uncovered by officials in a Western government allied with the United States found that the Russian military intelligence service, GRU, late last year covertly created a website masquerading as a portal set up by human rights advocates in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.