Russia says that the west has a “large-scale disinformation campaign” regarding a possible invasion of Ukraine. They also said that the west is doing it “to divert attention from their own aggressive actions.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry statement came only hours before US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to speak on Saturday. Also, just hours after the US issued a harsh warning that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was near.
Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Friday – “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,”
US national security advisor Jake Sullivan warned on Friday that a Russian assault on Ukraine, involving bombs and missiles, might start shortly. For their own safety, Sullivan recommended all Americans leave the country as soon as possible. This is an echo of the advice of President Biden earlier.
Russia said that their main concern is the increased presence of NATO on their western flank.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko provided steps to protect “critical and social infrastructure facilities” in “the event of a possible emergency”. He added, “our efforts are aimed at preventing or overcoming both possible provocations and withstanding a military attack.”