Editing False flag (section)

===Russian invasion of Ukraine===
In January and February 2022, U.S. officials warned that Russian operatives were planning a false flag operation in Ukraine in order to justify a military intervention.<ref>{{cite web |last=Walton |first=Calder |title=False-Flag Invasions Are a Russian Specialty |date=4 February 2022 |language=en-US |website=Foreign Policy |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/04/false-flag-invasions-are-a-russian-specialty/ |access-date=2022-03-14}}</ref> In the days leading up to the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February]], the Russian government intensified its [[Russian disinformation|disinformation campaign]], with Russian state media promoting false flags on a nearly hourly basis purporting to show Ukrainian forces attacking Russia, in a bid to justify an invasion of Ukraine.<ref name="ViceDisinfo">{{cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |title=Russia's 'Idiotic' Disinformation Campaign Could Still Lead to War in Ukraine |date=21 February 2022 |publisher=[[Vice Media]] |website=[[Vice News]] |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/russia-disinformation-campaign-bombing-ukraine/ |access-date=22 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221194550/https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gdj3/russia-disinformation-campaign-bombing-ukraine |archive-date=21 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Four Russian false flags that are comically easy to debunk |date=21 February 2022 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/02/21/five-russian-false-flags-comically-easy-debunk/ |access-date=22 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222050443/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/02/21/five-russian-false-flags-comically-easy-debunk/ |archive-date=22 February 2022}}</ref> Many of the disinformation videos were poor and amateur in quality, with mismatching [[metadata]] showing incorrect dates,<ref name=":0"/> and evidence from [[Bellingcat]] researchers and other independent journalists showed that the claimed attacks, explosions, and evacuations in [[Donbas]] were staged by Russia.<ref name="ViceDisinfo"/><ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Russia says it prevented border breach from Ukraine, Kyiv calls it fake news |date=21 February 2022 |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-prevented-border-breach-ukraine-kyiv-calls-it-fake-news-2022-02-21/ |access-date=21 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221131855/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-prevented-border-breach-ukraine-kyiv-calls-it-fake-news-2022-02-21/ |archive-date=21 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Bellingcat Investigation Team |title=Documenting and Debunking Dubious Footage from Ukraine's Frontlines |date=23 February 2022 |work=[[Bellingcat]] |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2022/02/23/documenting-and-debunking-dubious-footage-from-ukraines-frontlines/ |access-date=24 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223204058/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2022/02/23/documenting-and-debunking-dubious-footage-from-ukraines-frontlines/ |archive-date=23 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Dumb and lazy': the flawed films of Ukrainian 'attacks' made by Russia's 'fake factory' |date=21 February 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/dumb-and-lazy-the-flawed-films-of-ukrainian-attacks-made-by-russias-fake-factory |access-date=22 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221235946/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/dumb-and-lazy-the-flawed-films-of-ukrainian-attacks-made-by-russias-fake-factory |archive-date=21 February 2022}}</ref>