Moscow has been warned by the U.S. that they have compiled lists of Ukrainians to target after an invasion.

• According to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., there is "reliable evidence" that Russia has created "target lists" of Ukrainians to be "executed or sent to concentration camps" after an invasion.
• Officials from the West have stated that Russia might utilize fabricated information regarding the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine as a justification for an invasion.
• On Monday, Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, stated that Moscow should formally acknowledge the independence of the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine.

According to a U.S. official, Russia has created target lists of Ukrainians following an invasion, as President Putin prepares to speak to his country's security council.

The U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Bathsheba Nell Crocker, wrote a letter to the U.N.'s Human Rights chief stating that the U.S. had "credible information" that Russia had compiled lists of Ukrainians "to be killed or sent to camps" following an invasion. The contents of the letter were first reported Sunday evening by The Washington Post.

Russian forces are likely to use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or counter peaceful exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations, according to credible information.

On Monday, the Kremlin rejected Crocker's allegations that Russia had created such lists, labeling the reports as "fiction" when questioned by the media.

"Do you comprehend that this is entirely fabricated and untrue?" he stated.

In her letter, Crocker stated that other human rights violations and abuses were being planned in Moscow after an invasion. She cautioned that those who opposed Russian actions, including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists, religious and ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQI+ community, were at risk of being subjected to these abuses.

On Monday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov stated on Ukrainian broadcaster ICTV that an invasion was unlikely to happen "tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" because no Russian "strike groups" had gathered at the border.

He stated that these groups could be established within weeks, although he added that.

The White House and British Prime Minister both warned that Russia is planning a full-scale attack on Ukraine and that it could be the biggest war in Europe since 1945.

Despite Russian claims of withdrawing troops from the border, the U.S. estimated that there were between 169,000 and 190,000 Russian troops in and near Ukraine last week, an increase from 100,000 at the end of January. This was also contradicted by NATO and the EU.

Despite Ukraine's concerns, Russia has consistently stated that it has no intention of invading its neighbor. Russia has made it clear that it will not tolerate Ukraine's membership in NATO and has requested that the alliance reduce its presence in eastern Europe.

According to Reuters, Putin stated in a security council meeting on Monday that the threats to Russia would significantly increase if Ukraine joins NATO.

Putin to consider recognition of breakaway regions

The escalating conflict between Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, which has been ongoing for eight years, was the focus of the council meeting led by Putin.

Russian state media and Ukrainian authorities have frequently accused each other of shelling attacks and ceasefire violations over the past week.

The leader of an eastern Ukrainian separatist region announced that residents would be evacuated to Russia with Russian assistance, following Ukraine's lawmakers' request to Putin to recognize two self-declared republics in eastern Ukraine as independent.

On Monday, Eduard Basurin, representative of the Donetsk People's Republic, stated in a YouTube video that the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine require financial, military, and moral support from Russia.

On Monday, leaders of two Ukrainian regions controlled by pro-Moscow separatists called on Russia to recognize their independence.

Reuters reported that Putin discussed with his security council the need to consider recognition of the breakaway regions.

On Monday, Dmitry Kozak, Putin's special representative on Ukraine, stated that Russia had been obligated to allocate "enormous amounts" of money on humanitarian aid for the two separatist regions.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine escalates

On Monday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry stated that Russian occupation forces had committed "another provocation" to falsely accuse Ukrainian service members.

The ministry stated that the aggressor opened heavy armament fire from Lobacheve settlement, targeting Luhansk.

Yesterday, Ukrainian officials reported 80 ceasefire breaches, with 72 of them involving weapons that are forbidden under the Minsk accords, which were signed in 2014 and 2015 by Ukraine, Russia, and separatist leaders.

The Russian occupation forces continue to destroy civilian infrastructure and sporadically shell civilian settlements in the temporarily occupied territories, despite Ukrainian defenders refraining from any aggressive acts that could trigger a violent response, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The ministry also stated that it is clear that the adversary is using the Russian propaganda machine to wage information warfare, falsely accusing the Armed Forces of Ukraine and further escalating the situation.

Over 1,500 ceasefire violations were recorded by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on Saturday, with 1,413 explosions occurring in eastern Ukraine.

Near the Russian border in eastern Ukraine, low-level fighting has persisted for years. Recently, the OSCE has reported a significant increase in cease-fire violations, resulting in a sharp rise in the number of deaths, with around 13,000 people killed during the eight-year conflict.

Ukraine says Russia spreading fake news

On Monday, Russian state media reported that five individuals were killed by the Russian military and border guards when a group of Ukrainian saboteurs attempted to enter Russia.

Near the village of Mityakinskaya in the Rostov region, the alleged incident was reported to have taken place at approximately 6 a.m. local time.

On Monday, Ukraine's Kuleba rejected Russia's accusations, stating on Twitter that Ukraine did not conduct any attacks and had no plans to do so.

“Russia, stop your fake-producing factory now,” he said.

Russia may use false claims about the conflict in eastern Ukraine to justify military aggression and an invasion, according to Western officials, who have labeled this as a "false flag attack" by the U.S. and the U.K.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed the U.N. Security Council that a fabricated terrorist bombing, an invented mass grave discovery, a staged drone strike against civilians, or a fake chemical weapon attack could be used as potential reasons for military intervention.

On Monday, Boris Johnson's spokesperson stated that "real-time" elements of the "Russian playbook" were being observed.

On Monday, Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, will be conferring with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Biden agrees ‘in principle’ to meet Putin

On Sunday, the White House revealed that President Joe Biden has agreed to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but only if there is no invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the U.S. cautioned that Moscow is readying for a full-scale assault on Ukraine imminently.

According to Reuters, the Kremlin stated on Monday that there were no specific plans for a meeting between Putin and Biden.

Blinken is set to meet with Lavrov in Europe this week, as long as Moscow refrains from any military actions.

On Sunday, the U.S. National Security Council met to discuss the growing conflicts concerning Ukraine.