MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has slammed US Department of State reports about the concentration of Russian troops at the border with Ukraine as false.

"Recently, officials in Washington have been enthusiastically intimidating the world community with Russia’s alleged preparations for "aggression" against Ukraine. According to the coming reports, the US Department of State is using diplomatic channels to disseminate among its allies and partners absolutely false information about the concentration of forces in Russia for the military invasion of Ukraine," the Service’s press center said.

The Americans are painting a terrifying picture of how "hordes of Russian tanks will be ruining Ukrainian cities, arguing they have some sort of reliable data about Russia’s intentions," it said. "It is surprising how quickly the foreign policy department, which used to be quite a reputable institution, is turning into a mouthpiece of false propaganda."

According to the SVR, such allegations are not that harmless as they might seem. "A quote ascribed to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels reads: ‘The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.’ Obviously, it fits well enough into the West’s anti-Russian policy," it said.

The Service noted that the United States and the European Union are pushing Ukraine towards actions in Donbass. "We are much more concerned that such aggressive propaganda encourages the Kiev regime to ramp up its military force in Donbass, to resume shelling attacks on civilian facilities," it said.

"Of extreme concern is the United States’ and the European Union’s provocative policy, which is geared to strengthen Kiev’s feeling of all-permissiveness and impunity," it stressed.

According to the Service, reports keep on coming that Ukraine’s positions "are creeping inside the so-called grey zone along the contact line and that it concentrates its forces and weapons in the border areas with Russia and Belarus." "The United States and its allies continue to pump up weapons to Ukraine, push it toward using such weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles for the purposes of military provocations," the Service stressed.