Although Vladimir Putin’s denials of Russian troop presence are farcical, the true extent of Russian involvement remains unclear. A full-scale invasion would probably include more than a few thousand troops—NATO officials say as many as 20,000 troops are poised at the border. For now, Mr Putin appears determined not to bear responsibility for a war that has killed nearly 2,600 people, most of them civilians. He continues to funnel his fighters and weapons to the rebel army in an effort to create a frozen conflict as he has done elsewhere, in the hope that he can one day insert “Novorossiya" into his new map of the world.

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