And, after all, what is a lie? 'Tis but the truth in a masquerade.
-- Alexander Pope
Flashback: Spring 2014
At the time of Putin’s press conference, thousands of troops wearing Russian uniforms without insignias had already landed in the Crimean peninsula and proceeded to disarm the Ukrainian military. The troops referred to themselves as forces of the “Crimean self-defense,” but, on several occasions, they admitted to journalists that they were indeed Russian servicemen. “The people who were blocking the Ukrainian Army units in Crimea were wearing uniforms that strongly resembled the Russian Army uniform. Were those Russian soldiers, Russian military?” a journalist asked. (He was later hailed by colleagues for his audacity.)
“Why don’t you take a look at the post-Soviet states,” Putin responded. “There are many uniforms there that are similar. You can go to a store and buy any kind of uniform.”
"
You can got to a store and buy any kind of uniform." Pay no attention to the images of Russian soldiers in Russian uniforms. These are not the soldiers that you are looking for. We snigger at Putin pretending to have the power to play Jedi mind tricks. How transparent his ruse! How clumsy his cover-up! How wise we are to see through him; how stupid he is to offer such absurd excuses. Yet, after seeing through his ruse, we go on as if these were not Russian soldiers in Ukrainia.
Move along, nothing to see here.
The humanitarian convoy was another masterful ploy.
One hundred white trucks in a miles long convoy reportedly filled with humanitarian aide. The convoy rumbled slowly towards the Russian-Ukrainian border. Fears rose regarding the actual contents of the supplies in the convoy. The Ukrainian government would not give them permission to enter the country. Red Cross disassociated itself from the convoy. "Invasion!" cried the media as the convoy rolled into "Novaya Rossiya." And what did the convoy hold? Mostly food and water. Humanitarian aid. So Putin played his dexter hand while the West danced to it. But what did Putin hold in his sinister?
Around the room they fought - thrust and parry, feint and counterfeint. The air within their shield bubbles grew stale from the demands on it that the slow interchange along barrier edges could not replenish. With each new shield contact, the smell of ozone grew stronger.
Paul continued to back, but now he directed his retreat toward the exercise table. If I can turn him beside the table, I'll show him a trick , Paul thought. One more step, Gurney.
Halleck took the step.
Paul directed a parry downward, turned, saw Halleck's rapier catch against the table's edge. Paul flung himself aside, thrust high with rapier and came in across Halleck's neckline with the bodkin. He stopped the blade an inch from the jugular.
"Is this what you seek?" Paul whispered.
"Look down, lad," Gurney panted.
Paul obeyed, saw Halleck's kindjal thrust under the table's edge, the tip almost touching Paul's groin.
-- Frank Herbert
Putin's other hand? Does it hold Russian troops and multiple columns of Russian tanks and artillery? Or merely some untrained pro-Russian insurgents with captured Ukrainian equipment? The masquerade continues.