A Russian soldier’s ‘Ukraine selfies’
are not evidence, they’re war art
By Jonathan Jones
The Guardian.com
Selfies are not about to become the new military intelligence. They may, however, be the new war art.
It is claimed that self-portraits posted on a Russian soldier’s Instagram account may “prove” the Russian army has been operating inside eastern Ukraine, raising the possibility that not only Russian technology but also Russian operators were involved in the destruction of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
Alexander Sotkin’s selfies show him grinning and gurning in close-up, with glimpses of what appear to be the interiors of military vehicles behind him. Some of the pictures appear to have been posted not from inside the Russian border but from within Ukraine. One of Sotkin’s diary notes evocatively describes “sitting around, working on a Buk [a portable Russian missile system], listening to music, basically a good Sunday”.
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Definition of gurning
A gurn or chuck is a distorted facial expression, and a verb to describe the action. A typical gurn might involve projecting the lower jaw as far forward and up as possible, and covering the upper lip with the lower lip, though there are other possibilities.
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/gurning