
Amid Russia Threat, 'False-Flag Operation' Fears Stoke Tensions In Ukraine
NDTV
Russia, which has massed forces near Ukraine, has denied plans to invade and dismissed talk of false-flag operations.
Pro-Russian separatists said on Saturday they had uncovered a plan by Kyiv to seize territory they control in eastern Ukraine by force, and paraded a man they said was a Ukrainian spy.
Authorities in the Ukrainian capital quickly dismissed the alleged plan as a fake and have shrugged off spy allegations in the past, but such reports are contributing to a rise in tension.
Fears are growing in Kyiv and the West that a false-flag operation - an act committed with the intent of pinning blame on another party - could be staged in eastern Ukraine and used as a pretext for Russia to attack.
Russia, which has massed forces near Ukraine, has denied plans to invade and dismissed talk of false-flag operations.