Willi Münzenberg lacht

The former German Communist who served Lenin and Stalin so well as chief propagandist--and inspired Joesph Goebbels to do the same for his side--would have appreciated this Trojan Convoy Gambit by Vladimir Putin;

It's as much a war of nerves as it is a war of pictures. Filled with medicine, berries, baby food and sleeping bags, at least 260 trailer trucks formed a column three kilometers (1.8 miles) long, but the vehicles won't be allowed across the border into Ukraine.

The Ukrainian government has denied them access. These are the pictures that are shown in the Russian media and present the Russian president in more than a glowing light. From Moscow's perspective, the government in Kyiv poses an unrelentingly hard line - one that attacks cities, kills civilians and now prevents the arrival of humanitarian aid.

Whoever believes Russia to be the less hostile of the two, can refer to a YouTube video that appears to show green trucks with black military symbols being painted in white. The recording has yet to be verified, but the suspicion remains that Russia's real intentions do not serve a humanitarian purpose.

And Putin has managed to dupe some who should know better;

The Polish government sees the humanitarian aid that has caused so much tension as a positive sign. According to Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, the principal willingness of the government in Moscow to put the convoy under supervision of the ICRC has reduced the threat of a Russian military intervention on the eastern Ukraine border. The Polish government must now also acknowledge Russia's attempts to enter talks with the Ukrainian government and the Red Cross. This is all the more exceptional considering Poland has taken a hard line with Russia throughout the Ukraine crisis.

Useful idiots. They will always be with us.