On January 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to U.S. President Joe Biden’s comment, made at a press conference the previous day, that stiff sanctions would be imposed on Russia if it renewed its invasion of Ukraine. Peskov said: "All these statements can contribute to the destabilization of the situation, because they can inspire completely erroneous hopes in the hot heads of some representatives of Ukraine, the Ukrainian leadership, who on the sly, if you will, can decide to start a new civil war in their country and try to solve the problem of the southeast.” The insinuation that Ukraine wants a civil war is false. As Polygraph.info and other publications have shown, the existing conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region is not a civil war. Rather, the conflict was orchestrated with the help of the Russian military with local collaborators in the aftermath of Russia’s 2014 annexation by force of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Russia has perpetuated the war in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces by supplying proxy forces with weapons, including armor and heavy artillery, along with ammunition, fuel and other vital supplies. https://www.polygraph.info/a/polygraph-fact-check-kremlin-floats-phony-civil-war-in-ukraine-narrative/6743251.html » Subscribe to VOA News: https://bit.ly/3KIPysi » Watch more VOA News video: https://www.youtube.com/c/VOANews Voice of America (VOA) is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 236.8 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms. It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of approximately 3,000 affiliate stations. Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press. Connect with VOA News: » VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.voanews.com/ » LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/voanews » FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/voanews/ » FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/VOANews