Washington believes Russia may be preparing fake videos to create an excuse to attack Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing Thursday.

"We think Russian authorities will resort to a fake attack by Ukrainian military or intelligence forces on Russian sovereign territory or against Russian-speaking people to justify their actions. We think that Russia will create a very colorful propaganda video," he said.

Earlier, several U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, citing unnamed senior U.S. officials, reported that Russia was planning to fake an attack by the Ukrainian military in order to gain a pretext to invade Ukraine.

According to U.S. officials, Russia, using such videos, will accuse Ukraine of "genocide" and thus justify an attack on Ukraine.

It is noted that the video footage should include those killed in the explosion, Ukrainian equipment, Turkish-made drones and actors portraying residents mourning the dead.