Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia did not attack Ukraine, Interfax reported on Thursday.
"We do not plan to attack other countries, we did not attack Ukraine either," Lavrov said at a press conference when asked if Russia was going to attack other countries. According to Interfax, the foreign minister said that the situation arose because no one listened to Russia's demands.
Read more about the Russia-Ukraine War:
- Day 14 war updates
- Russia says it will no longer participate in Council of Europe
- UK imposes sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
- Ukraine opens website to submit Russia war crime allegations
- Poll: Most Israelis support imposing quotas on the absorption of refugees from Ukraine
Lavrov reportedly explained that new details had been revealed and that in fact, Ukraine had been planning to attack the breakaway Donbas region. On Wednesday, Russia claimed it has found a secret document showing that Ukraine was planning a military offensive against the breakaway Donbas region in March.
The covert orders, allegedly dated January 22 and signed by National Guard of Ukraine commander Col.-Gen. Nikolai Balan, details supposed preparations for troops for joint forces operations in Donbas, the Russian foreign ministry said.
"The document approves the organizational and staff structure of the battalion tactical group of the 4th operational brigade of the National Guard, the organization of its comprehensive support and reassignment to the 80th separate air assault brigade of Ukraine," Russian defense ministry Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said, according to Russian media outlet TASS.
That Russia had not attacked Ukraine was not the only controversial claim by Lavrov on Thursday. He also claimed that the US had biological laboratories in Ukrainian territories where they were creating bio weapons.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said that the laboratories had experimented with bat coronaviruses, RIA reported.Michael Starr contributed to this report.