Russia Attempts to Spread 'Fake Videos' to Justify Invasion of Ukraine

Plan to Cast Actors for Fake Scene Production
US "Must Prepare for Economic Damage in Case of Invasion"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been revealed that Russia attempted to create and distribute fake videos containing corpses and staged explosion scenes to fabricate a pretext for invading Ukraine.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 3rd (local time), citing a senior official of the Biden administration, that "U.S. intelligence agencies have obtained evidence that Russia planned to distribute such videos."

The video depicts the Ukrainian military attacking Russian-speaking people in Russian territory or in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists. It is said to have been meticulously designed to show graphic images of scattered corpses caused by explosions and scenes of destroyed locations.

The video reportedly includes mourners speaking Russian. A senior Biden administration official, who requested anonymity, explained, "Russian authorities have already recruited actors to play the role of mourners, and the Russian intelligence agency is closely involved in this process."

Fake Ukrainian military equipment and Turkish-made drones were also included. U.S. authorities believe this is intended to make it appear as if the military equipment was provided by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

While the U.S. assesses that Russia may use the fake videos to justify the invasion of Ukraine or as a pretext for separatists in the eastern Donbas region to request Russian intervention, Russia immediately dismissed these claims.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS, "This is not the first time the U.S. has made similar claims, but they have never been true."

The U.S. government issued another warning to Russia. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, mentioned in a briefing that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks, stating, "Even if Russia closely aligns with China, it will be difficult to avoid the consequences of invading Ukraine. Due to U.S. sanctions, Russia's economy will be in a fragile and vulnerable state."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.