Bloomberg admitted that it had the headline ready to go, despite an "invasion" not at all being the reality. The hugely influential global financial news company said late in the day Friday: "We prepare headlines for many scenarios and the headline 'Russia Invades Ukraine' was inadvertently published around 4 p.m. ET today on our website. We deeply regret the error. The headline has been removed and we are investigating the cause." 

Given that speculations over false flags and charges that a Russian invasion is "imminent" (the latter wordage walked back by the White House this week) have become a key talking point in US mainstream media this month, the false start Bloomberg headline certainly raises some questions. 

Kremlin researcher and podcaster Olga Lautman posted a screenshot of the Bloomberg homepage while the false headline was live. She told the New York Post:

"I went on the site and saw the breaking news but knew it wasn't real because I deal with Ukraine and will be one of the first to know. It is bizarre and a pretty big mistake to make considering this is a potential large scale invasion and everyone is on edge."

She said it stayed up "for about 30 minutes", according to the NY Post. Here's how the "inadvertently published" fake headline appeared for up to half an hour on the homepage: 

Moscow has consistently and vehemently denied that it plans to invade Ukraine, accusations sparked by its stationing additional troops in southern Russia, in regions near the border but firmly within its own sovereign territory. 

Lately, even Ukraine's leadership and President Zelensky himself have warned the West must calm its rhetoric, saying this alone could unnecessarily spark a shooting war which can be averted through diplomacy.