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US President Joe Biden on Friday said he is convinced Russia will invade Ukraine and that Moscow plans to push an offensive all the way to the capital Kiev, home to about three million people.
Speaking from the White House, Mr Biden outlined what he saw as the likely start of what could become the gravest confrontation Europe has seen since the Second World War.
“We have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to intend to attack Ukraine, in the coming week, the coming days,” Mr Biden said. He added that Moscow is likely to “target Ukraine's capital Kiev, a city of 2.8 million innocent people".
He said that, “as of this moment, I'm convinced [Russian President Vladimir Putin has] made the decision” to launch an invasion.
Moscow has already launched an information war to justify an invasion, the president said, noting that Russia is creating “more and more disinformation” that was being sent to the Russian public, including claims that Ukraine is planning to launch an offensive attack in the eastern Donbas region.
“It defies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment, with well over 150,000 troops arrayed on its borders, to escalate,” he said.
Ukraine's foreign ministry pre-emptively denied it had any attack plans.
Mr Biden's remarks came at the end of an extremely tense day in eastern Ukraine, where a series of explosions rocked the Donbas region.
Separatists in the Donbas cities of Luhansk and Donetsk said they were moving civilians to Russia.
The announcement appeared to be part of Moscow’s efforts to counter western warnings of a Russian invasion and to paint Ukraine as the aggressor instead.
To that end, Moscow pointed to a bombing that struck a car outside the main government building in Donetsk. The head of the separatists’ forces, Denis Sinenkov, said the car was his, the Interfax news agency reported. He was unhurt.
While shelling and shooting are common along the line separating Ukrainian forces and the rebels, targeted violence is unusual in rebel-held cities like Donetsk.
However, the explosion and the evacuations were in line with US warnings of false flag attacks.
Compounding the volatility, Russian media reported another explosion in Luhansk and a blast at a nearby gas pipeline.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US had long predicted “the Russians would take part in pretext or steps that would lay a predicate for either war or to create confusion or spread misinformation on the ground about what's actually happening".
Mr Putin on Saturday was scheduled to oversee Russian exercises involving its strategic nuclear forces.
He will observe the drills involving practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in a demonstration showing that Russia remains a nuclear superpower.
Mr Biden said he does not think Mr Putin is “remotely contemplating” using nuclear weapons.
“He is focused on trying to convince the world that he has the ability to change the dynamics in Europe in a way that he cannot,” the US president said.
His remarks came shortly after he spoke with leaders from Canada, Europe and Nato.
A US official said Russia was behind this week's cyber attacks on the Ukrainian defence ministry and major banks.
The announcement from Anne Neuberger, the White House’s chief cyber official, was the most pointed attribution of responsibility for cyber intrusions that have unfolded as tension escalates between Russia and Ukraine.
She said that while the attacks had a limited impact, they “are consistent with what a Russian effort could look like” and there could be more destructive cyber attacks if Russia proceeds with a further invasion of Ukraine.
“We've been preparing for this responsibility,” she said.
The official said the world must be prepared to “shine a light on malicious cyber activity” and hold actors accountable for attacks.
There are no credible or specific cyber threats to the US at this time, Ms Neuberger added.
At least 10 websites for Ukrainian government agencies and banks were hit with cyber attacks on Tuesday amid growing fears that Russia was preparing to invade the country.
Those websites included the Defence Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Culture Ministry and Ukraine’s two largest state banks.
Speaking alongside Ms Neuberger at the White House, Daleep Singh, the deputy US national security adviser for international economics, said an invasion of Ukraine would mean a “strategic defeat for Russia, pure and simple".
“If Russia invades Ukraine, it would become a pariah to the international community,” Mr Singh said.
“It will become isolated from global financial markets and be deprived of the most sophisticated technological inputs.”
He predicted “intense capital outflows, mounting pressure on its currency, surging inflation, higher borrowing costs, economic contraction and the erosion of its productive capacity".
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has travelled to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, as she leads the US delegation in crisis talks on Ukraine.
Ms Harris is expected to address the conference on Saturday.
Agencies contributed to this report
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Russian President Vladimir Putin signs documents recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. AFP -
A Ukrainian soldier walks past fragments of a mortar shell amid fighting near the front line in Travneve, Donetsk region. Reuters -
People wave Russian flags while celebrating Moscow's recognition of the self-proclaimed republic's independence, in Donetsk. AP -
Protesters gather at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in Kiev, calling on the EU to impose additional sanctions against Russia. Getty Images -
Members of the security forces walk in an underpass at a railway station in Kiev. Getty Images -
A Ukrainian soldier on the front line near the village of Travneve, in Donetsk. Reuters -
Alisa, 38, a media relations specialist, takes part in a combat skills training for civilians near Kiev. Reuters -
Alisa poses with a gun at her home near Kiev. Reuters -
A young girl takes part in a rally in defence of 'Ukraine, Europe and democratic values', organised by the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, outside the Russian Consulate in Porto, Portugal. EPA -
A Ukrainian soldier takes time out to play with dogs on the front line near the city of Novoluhanske, in Donetsk. Reuters -
People gather under the Ukrainian flag for a Day of Solidarity with Ukraine at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. AFP -
Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic cross from Ukraine into Russia, after it was announced that women and children would be led to the Rostov region due to rising tension in the area. EPA -
After the evacuation of separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine, people complete documents in a temporary accommodation centre in Rostov, Russia. Reuters -
War veterans and volunteers train civilians in handling weapons on one of Kiev's city beaches. AFP -
Russian and Belarusian helicopters taking part in a joint military exercise of the allied countries’ armed forces. EPA -
Ukrainian National Guard soldiers at a mobile checkpoint together with the Ukrainian Security Service agents and police officers during a joint operation in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP -
US President Joe Biden delivers a national update on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP -
A Polish soldier uses his phone, as US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak visit the Air Base in Powidz, Poland. Reuters -
Mr Austin, left, addresses US troops stationed at the Powidz Air Base in Poland. AP Photo -
A woman walks to board a bus, arranged to evacuate local residents, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters -
A satellite image shows an overview of helicopter deployments near Lake Donuzlav in Crimea, Ukraine. Reuters -
A Ukrainian Military Forces serviceman looks through a spyglass on the front line with Russia-backed separatists not far from Novolugansk in the Donetsk region. AFP -
A serviceman keeps position on the front line. AFP -
A Ukrainian frontier guard patrols along the border with Russia, some 40km from the city of Kharkiv. AFP -
US President Joe Biden speaks to the media about Russia's buildup on the Ukrainian border as he leaves the White House in Washington. EPA -
A Ukrainian frontier guard stands at a check point. AFP -
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow. Reuters -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the United Nations Security Council. AP Photo -
An elderly lady walks by as members of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination survey damage to a house from artillery shell that landed in Vrubivka, eastern Ukraine. AP Photo -
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders to discuss Ukraine at the European Council building in Brussels. AP Photo -
A local resident boards a train at a suburban area of Kiev. Reuters -
A woman stands among debris after the reported shelling of a nursery in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine. AFP -
A protester shouts slogans during a demonstration outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev against high government taxes. AFP -
A member of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army rests ahead of deployment to Poland from Fort Bragg in the US. AP Photo -
Members of the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army clean weaponry ahead of deployment to Poland. AP Photo
