© APEvidence of Russian troops in Ukraine?
The photos were "presented to the Armed Services Committee from a delegation from Ukraine in December," told The Washington Free Beacon Senator Jim Inhofe's communications director Donelle Harder.
The Americans planned to publish the photos with credits to the Ukrainian MPs, and "they were fine with that," the spokesperson said.
Yet, after thorough checking, images of the Russian convoys turned to be taken years ago, in 2008 during Georgia - South Ossetia war.
"We are currently making calls to our sources," Harder said.
"The Ukrainian parliament members who gave us these photos in print form as if it came directly from a camera really did themselves a disservice," Senator Inhofe said in a statement.
"I was furious to learn one of the photos provided now appears to be falsified from an AP photo taken in 2008," the lawmaker wrote.
At the same time the revealed forgery "doesn't change the fact that there is plenty of evidence Russia has made advances into the country with T-72 tanks and that pro-Russian separatists have been killing Ukrainians in cold blood," the US senator maintains.
The list of members of the Ukrainian delegation that attempted to fool Senator Jim Inhofe does not include high-ranking Ukrainian officials, with probably the sole exception of the commander of the Donbass volunteer battalion Semyon Semenchenko, who visited Washington demanding arms and training for his servicemen.
The Washington Free Beacon said it "regrets the error," and claims it has obtained new "exclusive" photos of "Russian military forces have been more involved in the arming and training" of the eastern Ukraine self-defense militia. The new photos, allegedly "taken between August 24 and September 5 in the midst of a Russian-backed incursion into Eastern Ukraine ... clearly display Russian troops entering Ukraine with advanced military hardware and weapons."
Comment: We look forward to the publication of these new pictures. So far their track record is not very flattering: Kiev's former "evidence" of videos, pictures, and recorded conversations upon closer inspection almost invariably have been proven to be forgeries. Russia's "invasion" seems to be composed mostly of this kind of activity.
Senator Inhofe expressed the hope that the new, particularly graphic images, could "act as a wake-up call to the Obama administration and American people" and push the US Congress to back up Senator Inhofe's bill to supply the Ukrainians with American lethal aid.
Russian tanks, soldiers / Photo provided by Sen. Inhofe, Feb 2015
Russian Army BMP-2 infantry armored fighting vehicle, Georgia - South Ossetia war. Published in here 18 August 2008 and here August 9, 2008.
"The Obama admin is so slow to recognize" and identify the problems "taking place around the world," Inhofe said. "They just don't want people to believe these things are happening," he acknowledged, adding: "There's no better way to do that and draw attention to it than letting people see these pictures."
Writer and journalist John Wight has told RT that the West has to ramp up the demonization of Russia to influence public opinion.
"There is a policy agenda with regard to Russia, with regard to NATO expansion, with regard to the expansion of the EU, with regard to isolating Russia - and everything is tailored to fit that policy agenda, including the truth. So anything that can be done to enlist support, the key determining factor of course is public opinion both in the UK and the US in particular, which has just had a decade of war. The public is war weary. So they have to ramp up the demonization of Russia. They have to fabricate Russia's intentions and Russia's actions in order to enlist that support of public opinion when it comes to possibly intensifying the conflict, which I fear we are in danger of seeing happen."
Comment: Here are some more pictures so readers can compare for themselves
EU-report: A column of Russian armoured vehicles moves along a road in South Ossetia, near the border with North Ossetia August 23 2008.
Picture from:Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"Russian tanks in Ukraine?" August 1, 2014
"Russian tanks in Ukraine?" August 1, 2014
Picture from: The Washington Free Beacon. Russian tanks, soldiers / Photo provided by Sen. Inhofe, Feb 2015
is that the U.S. and Poroshenko will go ahead and do what ever they feel like, with or without pictures.