Russia-24 channel confirmed that Russian intelligence had received information that Ukraine was planning to invade the Donbass region in February.

The channel said on the Bysogun program that Kiev had plans to bring NATO forces into Ukraine to allegedly prevent Russia from interfering.

According to a member of the Russian President's Advisory Council, Nikita Mikhalkov, sending weapons to Ukraine over a period of months was aimed at stockpiling them so that NATO forces would later be armed with them.

Mikhalkov concluded that Moscow decided to act proactively and proceeded to carry out its own military operation to thwart the Ukrainian-Atlantic scheme.

Moscow obtained intelligence that NATO was planning on deploying four military divisions in Ukraine, Al Mayadeen's Moscow correspondent reported Thursday.

"The deployment of the NATO's formations was going to happen during the summer," sources told Al Mayadeen, noting that Russia made the decision to force NATO's hand out of deploying soldiers in Ukraine.

"Ukraine was planning on attacking the Donbass region on February 25," our sources added, underlining that the Russian military operation in Ukraine will continue until all of its goals are accomplished.

Russia had for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.

The special operation is only targeting Ukrainian military facilities, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, and the civilian population is not at risk.

Declassified shipment list shows how the US was hyping Ukraine for war

According to a declassified accounting of transfers and sales examined by The Washington Post, the United States significantly increased its supply of lethal military aid to Ukraine as the potential of an escalation with Russia drew closer.

According to the list, the Pentagon began arming Ukrainians with weapons and equipment suited for combat in urban areas as early as December, including shotguns and specialist suits to protect soldiers handling explosive munitions.

Taken together, the variety, volume, and potency of munitions poured into Ukraine demonstrate the extent to which the US tried to train the Ukrainian military to conduct a hybrid war against Russia, despite President Biden's explicit rejection of American forces entering the battle.