The British government said that the Kremlin appeared to be developing plans to install a pro-Moscow leader in Ukraine.
The highly unusual public statement, backed by U.S. officials, comes at a pivotal moment in high-stakes negotiations. Moscow has deployed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders that could, according to American officials, attack anytime.
According to the assessment, Russian planners are considering installing Yevgeniy Murayev, a former member of Ukraine’s Parliament, as leader of a pro-Kremlin puppet government. The new accusations provided few details about how Russia might impose a new government and did not say whether such plans were contingent on an invasion.