Intelligence warns Kremlin is preparing large-scale provocation involving casualties

Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service has said that Russia is preparing a large-scale provocation involving casualties on 7 January, or shortly beforehand, in an attempt to derail US-mediated peace talks.

Source: Foreign Intelligence Service on Telegram

Quote: "After the so-called 'attack on Putin's residence', we are seeing the Kremlin spread new fabricated information as pretexts to prepare Russian and foreign audiences for further escalation. We predict with a high degree of probability a shift from manipulative influence to an armed provocation by Russia's secret services involving significant human casualties."

Details: The intelligence service believes the attack could be staged either on the eve of or during celebration of Christmas according to the Julian calendar.

The likely location of the provocation could be a place of worship or another site with high symbolic significance, either on Russian territory or in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

"To fabricate evidence of Ukraine's involvement, it is planned to use debris from Western-made strike UAVs, which will be brought to the site of the provocation from the front line," the Foreign Intelligence Service reported.

The intelligence service urged the media to question and carefully verify materials released by the Kremlin and to refrain from spreading Russian fake news.

Background:

• Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine had struck the residence of Russia's leader Vladimir Putin on the night of 28-29 December, saying this would lead to a review of Russia's negotiating position.
• Putin also rushed to inform US President Donald Trump about the alleged attack.
• Ukraine has officially denied the claims of any attack on the Kremlin leader's residence.
• Two days later, Russia's Ministry of Defence published a fake map supposedly showing the flight path of Ukrainian drones. Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service pointed to a number of facts indicating that the story of an attack on Putin's residence had been fabricated.
• The US National Security Agency concluded that Ukraine did not attempt to attack the Russian leader's residence, thereby dismissing Moscow's claims of an alleged assassination attempt.

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