By Carol E. Lee and Teaganne Finn -
NBC News
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials expressed concern Wednesday that Russia may be preparing to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons, after the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of possibly planning a chemical weapons attack in an alleged covert operation. without submitting evidence.
A Biden Administration official said the United States is concerned that the Russians would make the claim "to justify a false flag operation or that they themselves use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine."
"We think we should be vigilant about the possibility of Russia using chemical or biological weapons
," the official said.
The United States is also concerned that Russia may be making the claim to justify its invasion of Ukraine.
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In a covert or false flag operation, combatants commit an act and try to make it appear that the opposing side did it, often to justify an attack on the opposing side.
On Wednesday morning,
the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine was preparing a provocation with poisonous substances
.
Igor Konashenkov, the ministry spokesman, said the provocation was aimed at blaming Russia for the use of chemical weapons.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States took note of Russia's "false claims" and also heard Chinese officials "echoing these conspiracy theories."
"To be clear: this is absurd," Psaki said in a statement, referring to Russia's claims.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in Washington on March 9, 2022. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Now that the statements have been made,
“we should all be vigilant about the possibility of Russia using chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine
, or creating a false flag operation to use them.
It is an obvious pattern and no one should fall for it,” he continued.
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Security and disinformation experts continue to warn of Russia's attempts to push a narrative about the conflict that seeks to provide seemingly legitimate reasons for its invasion.
They have pointed to the war in Syria, where Russia backed Bashar al-Assad's regime, as an example of a government seeking to blame the victims of the attack for its own use of illegal weapons.
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The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Ukrainians in the small town of Zolochiv brought more than 80 tons of ammonia and are teaching people in the area how to act properly after a chemical attack.
But the Russians did not provide evidence of chemical weapons.
