What is false flag operation? Meaning explained

INSIDERS has warned that Russia is on the verge of carrying out a false flag campaign to create a pretext to invade Ukraine.

But what is the pseudo-flag operation and where has it been used historically? Here’s all you need to know.

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What is a fake flag operation?

The term ‘false flag’ refers to a covert operation usually organized by a government.

Operations are designed to appear as if they were carried out by another group or country and are often used to set the scene before war.

The term also refers to activities carried out by governmental individuals or entities aimed at undermining political opponents.

In civil cases and legal terms, these situations are often referred to as “incident” and “staged”.

Who used pseudo-flag manipulation?

Fake flags have been used many times throughout history to create the cover needed to justify a war.

Russian-Swedish War

Swedish forces were among the first to use the tactic in 1788 when they staged an attack on Puumala – a Swedish outpost on the former Russo-Swedish border.

Using military uniforms made at a local tailor, the attackers posed as Russian soldiers – before treating the incident as an act of war.

The Swedish parliament, which has previously dismissed the prospect of conflict, believes it provides enough evidence to launch an attack as a form of self-defense.

With King Gustav III’s backing, the pre-planned action provided cover for the two-year Russo-Swedish war.

Second Sino-Japanese War

In September 1931, Japanese officers made up the pretext of invading Manchuria by blowing up a railway section.

Although the explosion was too weak to disrupt railway operations, the Japanese used this Mukden incident to capture Manchuria and create their own “independent state”.

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The Gleiwitz Incident

Hitler used the wrong chess tactic with the so-called Gleiwitz incident, in which his brutal SS staged an attack on a radio station in Germany.

The attackers posed as Polish citizens, and it aided the invasion that followed a month later and sparked World War 2.

It was used to disguise the invasion as an act of self-defense against the Poles’ “atrocities” against the Germans.

“Its credibility is not important. The victor will not be asked whether he is telling the truth,” Hitler said shortly before the invasion of Poland.

Winter War

On November 26, 1939, Soviet troops shelled Mainila, a Russian village near the Finnish border.

Soviet authorities blamed Finland for the attack and used the incident as an excuse to invade Finland – starting the Winter War four days earlier.