Cyberattack hits Ukraine as U.S. warns Russia could be prepping for war

A laptop screen displays a warning message in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish, that appeared on the official website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry after a massive cyberattack, in this illustration taken January 14, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/Illustration

KYIV/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States said it feared Russia was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine if diplomacy fails to meet its objectives, after a massive cyberattack splashed Ukrainian government websites with a warning to "be afraid and expect the worst".

Moscow dismissed such warnings, though it has amassed more than 100,000 troops on its neighbour's frontiers and on Friday released pictures of more of its forces on the move.