ON APRIL 12TH 2014 Igor Girkin, a former Russian military officer also known as "Strelkov" ("Shooter"), sneaked across the border into Ukraine's Donbas region with a few dozen men and took control of the small town of Sloviansk, igniting Europe's bloodiest war since the 1990s. To create the impression of strength, Mr Girkin, an aficionado of historical battlefield re-enactments, masqueraded as a member of Russia's special forces, and had his men drive two armoured personnel carriers around every night to simulate a large build-up. In fact, his army never exceeded 600 men, mainly Cossacks and war-hungry opportunists like himself.
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