President Joe Biden says Russia President Putin is going to invade Ukraine. Reporter asks, "What reason do you have to believe he's considering that option at all?" Biden replies, "We have significant intelligence capability." Again, no evidence. Just trust us.
Biden says "Russia has falsely asserted" shelling of Ukrainian kindergarten was carried out by Ukraine forces. Russia tried to create "false justification" for invasion. But school was in Ukraine-controlled territory, not Russia-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.
What Biden is saying would make sense if a school in territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists was shelled by their forces, and then blamed on Ukraine. Then US-NATO could say that's ludicrous and argue Russia was creating a pretext for troubling escalation.
Russia saying the gas pipeline in Luhansk was allegedly sabotaged and Ukraine forces are responsible for explosion *could be*—if verified—a false flag by Russia. That fits way better than the school incident.
Problem is, what reliable source is going to verify any of this?
CNN update says Biden did not plan before February 18 speech to state definitively that Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine. Also again apparent the so-called bleak intel assessments are entirely based on Russian forces deployed for military drills, which end February 20.
The US Commander-in-Chief spoke and now they can't allow it to look like an error. So Pentagon Secretary repeated it to make it seem this is some kind of consensus—Russia "uncoiling and poised to strike" Ukraine
France is mostly refraining from hyperbole. Keeping talk about Russia invading Ukraine limited to an elevated "risk."
"We're not in the head of President Putin."
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