The conflict in Ukraine has brought many echoes of the Cold War, including a loose attitude to the truth. Although Russia's denials of military involvement stretch credibility to the breaking point, for some they remain a convenient fiction.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is chief among them, apparently hoping that denying a Russian role will keep his domestic audience ignorant of a war they don't want — which could prove especially useful if the battle goes badly.
But there are also some European powers, including Germany and France, which despite being on the opposite side of the crisis share Putin's desire not to paint it as an out-and-out war between Russia and Ukraine.