KIEV, February 1. /TASS/. The regime in Kiev is exploiting its Western partners’ claims of Russia’s ‘imminent invasion’ of Ukraine to plunder the state coffers, persecute opposition leaders and crack down on TV stations, Co-Chairman of the Opposition Platform - For Life party Vadim Rabinovich said on Tuesday.

"By whipping up the situation and frightening us every day, the foreign partners pursue their own goal that has nothing to do with Ukraine’s interests… Even officials in office are speaking openly about this," the lawmaker said in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament).

However, just a couple of weeks ago, the Ukrainian officials were acting precisely in the same way, instigating panic "which was very much suitable for them to overshadow questions about utility rates, paltry wages, unpaid pensions, the destroyed economy and the plundered COVID fund, the opposition MP said.

The Ukrainian authorities are exploiting the current situation in their own interests and "under the cover of an alleged imminent aggression, two independent television channels were destroyed again and the arrest of opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk continues under far-fetched accusations," Rabinovich pointed out.

"Under the guise of an imminent aggression, they are stealing our money, funneling billions out of the country, shutting down TV channels and destroying the opposition," he stressed. The current Ukrainian authorities simply do not know what to do with the state, the opposition lawmaker said.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded," serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have very serious consequences.