Russia denies allegations of fabricating pretext to invade Ukraine

FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Swiss President Ignazio Cassis (not pictured) meet in Geneva, Switzerland, January 21, 2022. Jean-Christophe Bott/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday dismissed as "nonsense" allegations by the United States that Moscow was preparing a fake video as a pretext for starting a war in Ukraine, Russia's RIA news agency reported.

U.S. intelligence agencies believe Russia has formed a plan to use a fabricated video showing the graphic aftermath of an explosion targeting Russian people as a pretext for an invasion, Washington said nL1N2UE262 on Thursday.

Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops close to the Ukrainian borders, but denies planning an invasion. It has demanded guarantees from Washington and NATO that Ukraine will not be allowed to join the military bloc.

(Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; editing by John Stonestreet)