Russian state television on Monday aired new propaganda that was seen as justification of an imminent invasion of Ukraine, The Daily Mail reports.
Popular news host and state propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov on his Sunday show said that Ukrainian nationalists are set to massacre Russians living in the eastern part of the nation.
The White House has warned an invasion could come as early as Wednesday, and in what could be a final step in that direction Kiselyov's program provided cover, albeit through unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine has "tortured and savagely killed" thousands of civilians in the Donbass region, according to the Mail.
Kiselyov is popularly known as "Putin's mouthpiece," making it likely that his segment, titled "They are Preparing to Kill," had the Kremlin's stamp of approval.
The piece included an interview with a separatist fighter claiming that Ukrainian nationalists have said they will "kill and butcher you all, and hang your children on wires."
The same propaganda method was used by Russia leading up to its previous invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Then, the Kremlin claimed to be "protecting" ethnic Russians who live in the country.
Up to 148,000 Russian troops are believed to be surrounding Ukraine on three sides along with tanks and artillery.
Nevertheless, Russia held the door open Monday to further talks on resolving its standoff with the West and said some of its military drills were ending, signalling a possible easing of the crisis.
As Western intelligence officials warned Wednesday could mark the start of an invasion, Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on national television the day would be marked as "Unity Day."
While the comments from President Vladimir Putin and his foreign and defense ministers seemed to offer hope of a de-escalation, the Pentagon said Russian forces on the border with Ukraine were still growing.
"It is a distinct possibility, perhaps more real than ever before, that Russia may decide to proceed with military action, with new Russian forces continuing to arrive at the Ukrainian border," U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday.
But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said they still did not believe Moscow had made a final decision on whether to invade.
During a carefully choreographed meeting with Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said "there is always a chance" to reach an agreement with the West over Ukraine.
European leaders have warned that the buildup is the worst threat to the continent's security since the Cold War, with Putin demanding a rollback of Western influence in Eastern Europe and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO.
Western allies have prepared what they warn would be a crippling package of economic sanctions in response to any attack, although Moscow has repeatedly said it has no such plans.
Recent Russian military exercises, including with Belarus, where the U.S. said Moscow had dispatched 30,000 troops for more than a week of drills, have caused rising concern.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin that some of the drills were "ending" and more would end "in the near future."
In Kyiv, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov hailed "positive" talks with his Belarusian counterpart, saying he had been assured "there are no threats to Ukraine from Belarus".
U.S. intelligence officials worry that weeks of crisis talks have given Russia the time to prepare a major offensive should Putin decide to attack Ukraine.
Information from AFP was used in this report.