The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 600 points, or 1.7%. Renewed fear of an invasion put global financial markets on edge. Ukrainian government officials shared intelligence with allies that suggested the Russians might try to shell the Luhansk area in the disputed Donbas region on Friday morning as part of an effort to create a false reason to take military action, according to the official who was not authorized to comment publicly. and European officials were on high alert for any Russian attempts to create a pretext for invasion, according to a Western official familiar with intelligence findings. The White House said Biden planned to speak by phone Friday with trans-Atlantic leaders about Russia’s military buildup and continued efforts at deterrence and diplomacy. has 'reason to believe' that Russia is 'engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in,' but did not provide details. 'Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine,' Biden told reporters. Speaking at the White House, he said Washington saw no signs of a promised Russian withdrawal, and said the invasion threat remains “very high” because Russia has moved more troops toward the border with Ukraine instead of pulling them back. I am here today not to start a war, but to prevent one.”īiden’s own comments on the Russian threat were unusually dire. invasion of Iraq, Blinken added: “Let me be clear. In an implicit nod to Secretary of State Colin Powell's appearance before the Security Council in 2003, when he cited unsubstantiated and false U.S. intelligence indicated Russia also would target “specific groups” of Ukrainians, Blinken said, again without giving details. picture further, Blinken described the entry of Russian troops, advancing on Kyiv, a city of nearly 3 million, and other key targets. The assault would open with cyberattacks, along with missiles and bombs across Ukraine, he said. Blinken mentioned a “so-called terrorist bombing” inside Russia, a staged drone strike, “a fake, even a real attack … using chemical weapons.” He told the diplomats that a sudden, seemingly violent event staged by Russia to justify invasion would kick it off. has declined to reveal much of the evidence underlying its claims. and Britain have hoped will expose and pre-empt any invasion planning. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed some conclusions of U.S. government issued some of its starkest, most detailed warnings yet about what could happen next.

The Kremlin insists it has no plans to invade, but it has long considered Ukraine part of its sphere of influence and NATO's eastward expansion an existential threat. Russia is believed to have built up some 150,000 military forces around Ukraine's borders.Ĭoncerns escalated in the West over what exactly Russia is doing with those troops, which included an estimated 60% of Russia's overall ground forces.

World dignitaries raced for solutions, but suspicions between East and West only seemed to grow, as NATO allies rejected Russian assertions it was pulling back troops from exercises that had fueled fears of an attack. President Joe Biden warned that Russia could invade Ukraine within days, and violence spiked in a long-running standoff in eastern Ukraine that some worried could provide the spark for wider conflict. KYIV, Ukraine - (AP) - Fears of a new war in Europe resurged Thursday as U.S. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr) (Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr) Februat 9:45 pm EST By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, YURAS KARMANAU, DARLENE SUPERVILLE and LORNE COOK

Russia has deployed troops to its ally Belarus for sweeping joint military drills that run through Sunday, fueling Western concerns that Moscow could use the exercise to attack Ukraine from the north. Russia Belarus Military Drills Military helicopters fly over the Osipovichi training ground during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills near Osipovichi, Belarus, Thursday, Feb.

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