Moscow reportedly warned Washington about Ukraine's plans to carry out a "covert operation" against Russia.

The New York Times reports this, explaining that the Kremlin's alert was launched to avoid escalation.

The plan reportedly emerged during a phone call on July 12 between Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Pentagon chief Loyd Austin . And during the phone call - defined by the sources cited by the NYT as "unusual" - there was a warning from Moscow to the United States that such an action could lead to an escalation of tensions between the two nuclear superpowers.

In the phone call, the Russian minister warned Washington of Kiev's preparations for a clandestine operation against Russia, saying he was convinced that the initiative had America's approval . In detail, Belousov asked the head of the Pentagon if he actually knew about the operation, warning him that an attack of that type could lead to serious consequences.

For his part, the US defense minister was "surprised" , writes the New York Times, stating that he had no information on similar plans from Kiev, "but whatever Belousov revealed to Washington was taken quite seriously, because the Americans contacted the Ukrainians and basically told them that if they were planning such an operation, they had better not carry it out.”

(Unioneonline)

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