The Russian embassy in Washington called US allegations that Moscow was
planning to carry out a false flag operation in Ukraine reminiscent of false
allegations that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in 2003.
Writing on Facebook, a statement from Russian diplomats called the
allegations "creative," and "typical" the US.
Previously, the Pentagon claimed the US had received information that Moscow
was planning to carry out a fake attack by Ukrainian military or
intelligence forces against Russian sovereign territory or Russian-speaking
people as a pretext for invasion.
"As part of this bogus attack, we believe that Russia will produce a very
graphic propaganda video, which will include bodies and actors depicting
mourners and images of destroyed locations," said US Defense Department
Press Secretary John Kirby.
However, according to Russian diplomats in Washington, these allegations are
completely false and fabricated on the same level as American claims prior
to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"We are not surprised by the new 'creative' scenario outlined by the press
secretaries of the US State Department and the US Department of Defense on
February 3, regarding the alleged preparation of Russia's operation under a
'false flag' against Ukraine," the Russian embassy statement read.
"This is typical of the United States. The international community remembers
the counterfeits that the US uses for their military intervention around the
world, including the famous Colin Powell bottle," the statement continued.
The Russian diplomatic mission was referring to a famous speech by former US
Secretary of State Colin Powell at the UN Security Council in early 2003,
when he took a test tube of white powder from his pocket in an attempt to
convince the world that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had biological
weapons.
Two years later, after the invasion showed the allegations to be false, he
expressed regret over his presentation, calling it a "stain" on his notes.
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The latest US accusations follow claims made in January that Russia had sent
an "operations group" trained in urban warfare to attack "Russian own proxy
forces" in eastern Ukraine, to create a justification for the invasion.
Moscow dismissed these claims as "baseless."
