Russian Paratroops in Ukraine: Lost in Media Haze

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[font size="2"]Russian Paratroops in Ukraine: Lost in Media Haze (Video)

By Alexey Eremenko, Ivan Nechepurenko
Aug. 26 2014 21:11
Last edited 21:12


Reuters / Ukrainian Security Service via Reuters TVA still from a
video claiming to show a Russian serviceman in Ukraine.

A slew of reports about Russian paratroopers slain or captured in Ukraine have reignited fears of a Russian invasion in the war-torn country, but confusion reigned supreme, indicating that the stories are above all part of the propaganda battle.

The reports came ahead of a long-awaited meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian presidents in Minsk, and both sides were ramping up psychological pressure ahead of the event as part of the media war, experts said.

The reports may be based on facts, but one thing was clear: A military intervention was out of the question, analysts on both sides told The Moscow Times on Tuesday.

"The truth is extremely hard to determine … but this [reports of Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine] is an isolated incident, in any case," said Mikhail Pogrebinsky of the Center of Political and Conflict Studies in Kiev.

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http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-paratroops-in-ukraine-lost-in-media-haze-video/505944.html