Russia has accused the UK of helping Ukraine to 'fake atrocities' that will be blamed on Putin's regime. However, Moscow has offered no evidence to support the claim - and Boris Johnson has previously slammed 'disinformation from the Kremlin'.
In a tweet and statement issued late on Saturday night, the Russian Ministry of Defence alleged that 'British intelligence services' were working with the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) in Lisichansk, a city in the Luhansk Oblast in Donbas. It said: "For this purpose, representatives of the Ukrainian and Western media, who had previously carried out staged photo and video filming in Bucha, arrived in the city in advance." Russia did not give any further details about this specific allegation, or provide any evidence.
The long statement made other unsubstantiated claims, including that "the special services of Ukraine are planning a provocation with the use of toxic chemicals to accuse Russian troops of allegedly striking civilian infrastructure facilities" in the Odesa area.
It said: "The most likely scenario of the staging may be an imitation of a missile strike by the Russian Armed Forces on the western naval base of the Ukrainian Navy, as a result of which the port's cooling plant, located 500 metres from the military facility, will be blown up."
Previous unsubstantiated Russian claims that Ukraine had staged attacks - or even attacked its only people - have been dismissed by Ukraine and world leaders. Moscow made similar claims about attacks on civilians in Bucha and Irpin.
Boris Johnson said at the time: "No denial or disinformation from the Kremlin can hide what we all know to be the truth - Putin is desperate, his invasion is failing, and Ukraine's resolve has never been stronger."
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