“I would recommend not to believe anyone, and especially the state department, when it comes to these issues,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The Pentagon said yesterday it had evidence of a plan by Moscow to film a fake Ukrainian attack on Russians to justify an assault on its pro-west neighbour.

Neither the Pentagon nor state department spokesman Ned Price, who also commented on the alleged plan, offered evidence to back up the claim.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov today accused “western colleagues” of making things up.

“The delusional nature of such fabrications – and there are more and more of them every day – is obvious to any more or less experienced political scientist,” he said in televised remarks.