Blinken Says Russia ‘Plans to Manufacture a Pretext’ to Attack Ukraine
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is planning to “manufacture” a pretext to attack Ukraine. During a speech at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, Blinken said a “manufactured”…
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia is planning to “manufacture” a pretext to attack Ukraine.
During a speech at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, Blinken said a “manufactured” event “could be a violent event that Russia will blame on Ukraine or outrageous accusations that Russia will level against the Ukrainian government.”
“We don’t know exactly the form it will take. It could be a fabricated so-called terrorist bombing inside Russia. The invented discovery of a mass grave. A staged drone strike against civilians. Or a fake — even a real — attack using chemical weapons. Russia may describe this event as ethnic cleansing, or a genocide,” he continued.
Additionally, Blinken said Russian media has “already begun to spread some of these false alarms and claims” to “maximize public outrage to lay the groundwork for an invented justification for war.”