Russia accuses West of spreading disinformation after US warns of Ukraine invasion

Moscow on Friday slammed Western countries and media for spreading lies over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, accusing them of trying to distract from their own aggressive acts.

Moscow on Friday slammed Western countries and media for spreading a "large-scale disinformation campaign" over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, accusing them of trying to distract from their own aggressive acts.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement comes in the wake of the US officials warning that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.

"At the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, the global information space faced a media campaign unprecedented in its scale and sophistication, the purpose of which is to convince the world community that the Russian Federation is preparing an invasion of the territory of Ukraine," CNN quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.

The United States and its allies urged their citizens to leave Ukraine right away to avoid a Russian invasion, including a possible air assault, that Washington said on Friday could occur anytime.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Americans could not expect military evacuation if they remained in Ukraine and should leave within 48 hours.

"We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border," Sullivan told reporters. "We are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time."

Citing US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, AP reported that the State Department plans to announce early on Saturday that all American staff at the Kyiv embassy will be required to leave the country ahead of a feared Russian offensive.