British PM calls attack on Ukrainian kindergarten a false flag operation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said an attack on a kindergarten in Ukraine was "a false flag operation" meant to "discredit the Ukrainians" and to create a pretext for Russia take action.

"A kindergarten was shelled in what we are taking to be, what we know was a false flag operation designed to discredit the Ukrainians, designed to create a pretext, a spurious provocation for Russian action," Johnson told reporters while visiting a military base in England, according to Reuters.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military reported that a kindergarten had been hit by shells fired by Russian-backed rebels. Both rebels and the military accused each other of firing across a cease-fire line.

According to the military, two civilians received shell shock as a result of the attack.

Johnson said that the latest intelligence about the situation in Ukraine was painting a "very grim" picture.

"We fear very much that that is a thing we will see more of over the next few days," he said, according to Reuters.

Western governments had previously warned that Russia may carry out a false flag operation in order to create a pretext for invading Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated these concerns on Thursday while addressing the United Nations Security Council.

"Russia plans to manufacture a pretext for its attack," Blinken said, adding that it would a violent event that Russia will blame Ukraine for. He said it could end up being a "fabricated so-called terrorist bombing inside Russia, invented discovery of a mass grave, a staged drone strike against civilians, or a fake, even a real attack using chemical weapons."

President Biden also repeated warnings of a false flag operation on Thursday, saying, "We have reason to believe that they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in."

Amid the heightened tensions with Russia, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied that there are plans to invade Ukraine and has stated that Russia is allowed to do what it wants with its own military.