US intelligence officials accused Russia of putting effort to create a pretext for its troops to "invade Ukraine", according to the White House.

The intelligence findings, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, show Russia is laying the groundwork through a social media disinformation campaign that portrays Ukraine as an aggressor preparing an imminent attack against Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine.

“We are concerned that the Russian government is preparing for an invasion in Ukraine that may result in widespread human rights violations and war crimes should diplomacy fail to meet their objectives,” Psaki said.

According to US intelligence findings, which were declassified and shared with US allies before being made public, a military invasion could start between mid-January and mid-February.

Moreover, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday said the US intelligence has not determined whether the Russians have definitively decided to launch a military operation.

Sullivan, on the other hand, believes Russia is preparing to "invade" under false pretenses if Putin decides to go that route. He claimed that the Russians have been planning "sabotage activities and information operations" accusing Ukraine of preparing for its own impending attack on Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

Russian responds

The Russian Embassy in the United States has described the recent remarks of the White House about Moscow's alleged preparations for an invasion of Ukraine as "information pressure".

"Such statements confirm the incessant information pressure on our country. Moreover, the same scenario is repeated: there is a 'stuffing' of a sensation, which then, repeated many times by the media, turns into the main news," the Russian diplomatic mission said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

"For our part, we would like to warn our colleagues against such adventures. Once again, we declare: the continuous accusations against us in the United States (both at the official level and in the media) are unfounded and cannot have any confirmation," the Russian Embassy added.

The Embassy called on the US authorities to closely work on security guarantees based on the draft treaties proposed by Russia and stressed that "Moscow supports diplomatic solutions to all international problems.