Russians ridicule western media on ‘day of no invasion’. By Andrew Roth.

As 16 February — the day when some briefings had forecast Russia would invade Ukraine — came and passed without incident, pundits in Moscow lined up for their chance to dunk on the western media. …

Western leaders led by Joe Biden have gone public with what they claim are Russian plans to launch an invasion of Ukraine, hoping that exposing the Kremlin’s alleged moves in advance could avert a war. But announcements of a date and, in the case of some tabloids, the exact time when Russia could launch the potential attack set up a big target for Russian officials and media to ridicule. …

In Russia, coverage of this buildup is less focused on the movement of tanks and Iskander missiles than on the information battle, where the main aggressors are seen as western officials and media reporting breathless predictions of all-out war or false-flag attacks. …

It isn’t just Russia lining up to attack western media. In Ukraine, where officials have complained about disruptive leaks and over-the-top reporting, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People parliamentary faction said western “hysteria is now costing the country $2-3bn every month”. …

The Reuters news agency set up a livestream of Kyiv’s Maidan Square, apparently to broadcast a potential attack. On Wednesday morning the feed showed light traffic on Khreshchatyk, the downtown main street, and the stop-and-go of cars at intersections. Street sounds blended into a calming white noise. More than 2,000 people were tuned in as a drone flew over the square carrying a Ukrainian flag.

As her guests laughed on, Skabeeva turned to the feed. “The livestream of Putin’s invasion was run simultaneously on Britain’s Reuters agency and the American CNN but the invasion didn’t take place,” she said.

The neocon warmongers were outplayed by Putin.