Russia has been laying groundwork online for a ‘false flag’ operation, misinformation researchers say.

At the White House this week, President Biden said that the United States had reason to believe that Russia was engaged in a false flag operation.

A new report by the European Expert Association, a research group that focuses on security in Ukraine, and the technology watchdog group Reset Tech said that since October, misinformation had been circulating online and in Russian news media that could be groundwork for such an operation.

The report said that many of the rumors began circulating on anonymous Telegram channels and were then repeated in televised statements by Russian officials. Russian officials' statements were repeated on Telegram channels until they became talking points for ordinary citizens.

Maria Avdeeva, research director at the European Expert Association, said that the rhetoric of the pro-Kremlin sources has become more aggressive.

The Global Disinformation Index, a nonprofit research group, independently evaluated the report and said it was reliable.

Some of the claims were found by the European expert association.

The Russian defense minister, Serhiy Shoigu, claimed that the Ukrainian army was about to attack two territories in Ukraine. On the day after, the RIA Novosti news agency published a report that claimed that a cache of chemical weapons had been given to Ukraine by the United States.

The researchers said that Russian-backed media spread the rumor throughout January and February, which was amplified on social media. 7,000 people viewed the post.

According to the researchers, Russian state media has been spreading rumors that the armed forces of Ukraine are planning an attack on the east of the country with the help of American, British and Polish mercenaries.

One Facebook post that collected nearly 100 likes said that the Ukrainian people were waiting for Mother Russia to free their sister from the Nazis and the State Department. A video spreading the same claim collected more than 30,000 views.

The Russians accuse the Ukrainians and Americans of planting a false flag.

The longest stretch of full utilization of nuclear energy in the country has been achieved since January 30. The plan to cut off the power grid with the Russian Federation and Belarus was implemented by the authorities in Ukraine.

Russia's state media spread the idea that the nuclear facilities in Ukraine were in dire need of repair and that the country was overestimating its ability to keep up with its energy needs. The Russian media implied that the Western countries could be planning to attack the nuclear facilities.

A Telegram channel with over 15,000 followers posted that the British Special Air Service was preparing to attack a power plant in Ukraine.

According to the researchers, the Telegram channel of a Russian war correspondent, Aleksander Kots, claimed that Ukraine had asked for equipment from the United States to help mitigate a possible natural disaster. The false accusation that the Ukrainians were planning a terrorist attack against a nuclear power plant was added by Mr. Kots. 83,900 people saw his comments on Telegram.