A phone call from Kremlin to Pentagon averts alleged Ukrainian attack
Russian state television claims that Ukraine might have planned an attack on participants of the Russian Navy Day celebrations, among whom was supposed to be Vladimir Putin, reported Reuters. The Russians intervened in this matter in the USA. "If you’re thinking about doing something like this, don’t," Kyiv heard from the head of the Pentagon.
Much of the information provided by Russian media or authorities is part of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information warfare conducted by the Russian Federation.
"Russia had suspicions that Ukraine planned to attack Russia during the Navy Day parade which was attended by President Vladimir Putin last month, and Moscow contacted Washington about its concerns, Russian state television reported," writes Reuters.
Urgent phone call from the Kremlin to the USA
Navy Day was celebrated in Russia on July 28. Russian television reported that the details of the alleged Ukrainian attack plans are classified as state secrets.
The television quoted "Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying that the concerns were so great about the suspected attack that Defence Minster Andrei Belousov contacted U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the suspicions."
Austin: Don't do it
Earlier this month, the phone rang at the Pentagon. Contrarily, the caller conveyed that Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov "needed to talk to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about an alleged Ukrainian operation." After this conversation, Austin called Kyiv and said: "If you’re thinking about doing something like this, don’t."
We talked about an operation on Russian territory, explained a military intelligence representative a few days later and added: Unfortunately, we cannot provide details yet. We sent a very serious warning, commented the Russian side.
The Russian side also commented on the conversation. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, in a discussion with U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on July 12, sent the Pentagon chief a severe warning about the possibility of uncontrolled escalation as a result of the actions of Kyiv and Washington, informed Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov, quoted by TASS.
Two days before the Russian Navy Day celebrations, the British Ministry of Defence reported that a key part of the celebrations, planned in Kronstadt near St. Petersburg, was cancelled for "security reasons."
"This is not the first time that events have been cancelled since Russia invaded Ukraine (in 2022). However, it is the most high profile event to be cancelled and highlights a growing trend that Russia is unable to guarantee the protection of its forces," the Defence Ministry in London noted at the time.
