Fraud With “Russian Soldier In Ukraine ” Photo: US-KievFalse Claims Exposed
By Countercurrents
25 April, 2014
Countercurrents.org
Photographs presented as proof of Russian involvement in Ukraine by the US and Kiev junta has been exposed as unverified and contradictory to the claims.
Freelance photographer Maxim Dondyuk said photos were taken without permission from his Instagram account.
The photographs were published on Monday by the New York Times.
The US State department acknowledged the error and the New York Times back-tracked its story, which claimed “photographs and descriptions from eastern Ukraine endorsed by the Obama administration … suggest that many of the green men are indeed Russian military and intelligence forces”.
The proof was this particular picture with an inscription “Group photograph taken in Russia ”.
Maxim Dondyuk took the photo
“It was taken in Slavyansk [ Ukraine ],” Maxim Dondyuk told NYT over the phone. “Nobody asked my permission to use it.”
The picture was amongst others Kiev gave the OSCE mission to Ukraine to ‘prove' Russian involvement in the massive unrest gripping the Donetsk region.
The State Department repeated the claims, citing ‘confirmation' of Moscow involvement.
“We see in the photos that have been again in international media, on Twitter, publicly available is that there are individuals who visibly appear to be tied to Russia . We've said that publicly a countless number of times,” Jen Psaki, State Dept spokeswoman said.
The New York Times eventually published a climbdown Wednesday, “Scrutiny Over Photos Said to Tie Russia Units to Ukraine ”, where it admitted failing to properly verify the Kiev photo dossier.
The NYT climbdown report
The NYT also cited the State Dept's Psaki admitting “the assertion that the photograph in the American briefing materials had been taken in Russia was incorrect”. She explained the picture was only part of a draft packet that wasn't used by Kerry at the talks.
Psaki then claimed to have other evidence connecting “the Russians and the armed militants” in eastern Ukraine but would not provide details.
The NYT climbdown by Michael R. Gordon and Andrew E. Kramer ( April 22, 2014 ) said:
The photographs have come under scrutiny.
It said:
The photographs were submitted by Ukraine last week to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , an organization in Vienna that has been monitoring the situation in Ukraine .
Some of the photographs were also provided by American officials to Secretary of State John Kerry so he could show them when he met in Geneva last Thursday with his counterparts from the European Union, Russia and Ukraine .
One series of photographs depicts what Ukraine described as a “soldier of the Russian Special Forces identified in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk during the assault of administration buildings.”
Vyachislav Ponomaryov, the de facto mayor of Slovyansk, who was ushered into office by pro-Russian militants, acknowledged in a news conference on Tuesday that armed men had come to his town from outside Ukraine but vociferously denied that they were Russian Special Forces.
Another series of photographs in the Ukrainian presentation shows a uniformed man with a long beard who was photographed this year in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk and who, the Ukrainians assert, was also photographed during Russian combat operations in Georgia in 2008, wearing a Special Forces patch.
Asked about the soldier, Mr. Ponomaryov said he was a close friend but added that he did not know if the man, whom he declined to name, had fought in Georgia .
“I cannot rule it out,” he said in an interview. “He has a good background. He is one of my old friends. I have good friends in South Ossetia and in Grozny .”
The NYT report added:
Another question has been raised about a group photograph of uniformed men who are identified in the Ukrainian submission as a “sabotage-reconnaissance group” that reports to the “General Staff of the Russian armed forces.”
The Ukrainian submission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe does not identify where the group photograph was taken but asserts that one prominently featured soldier was involved in operations in eastern Ukraine .
A packet of American briefing materials that was prepared for the Geneva meeting asserts that the photograph was taken in Russia . The same men are also shown in photographs taken in Ukraine . Their appearance in both photographs was presented as evidence of Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine . The packet was later provided by American officials to The New York Times, which included that description of the group photograph in an article and caption that was published on Monday.
It said:
Maxim Dondyuk, a freelance photographer who was working in Slovyansk principally for the Russian newsmagazine Russian Reporter, said that he had taken the group photograph there and posted it on his Instagram account.
“It was taken in Slovyansk,” he said in a telephone interview. “Nobody asked my permission to use this photograph.”
Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, acknowledged that the assertion that the photograph in the American briefing materials had been taken in Russia was incorrect.
A version of the climbdown article appeared in print on April 23, 2014 , on page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Scrutiny Over Photos Said to Tie Russia Units to Ukraine .
France to send fighter planes to the Baltics
France is sending four fighter jets to join NATO's air patrols over the Baltics, General Pierre de Villiers, France 's chief of defense staff said on a visit to Washington .
The four jets will be sent to eastern Poland on April 28 on a double mission to train the Polish air force and to be on standby for air patrols over the Baltic States under NATO command.
However, the French general told reporters Wednesday French political leaders had not ordered further steps to support alliance members.
“For the moment, the guidance is very clear, we do not go beyond that,” he said.
On the other hand, Russia 's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, has said that NATO exercises will do nothing to help solve the crisis in Ukraine .
“War games by NATO in Poland and the Baltic states are also not helping the normalization of the situation. We are forced to react to the situation,” he said during an official meeting in Moscow .
In response Russia has started military drills near the Ukrainian border, as the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate.
Comments are moderated