UK officials in Kiev post a graphic of a T-72BM tank and photographs of apparent sightings of them in eastern Ukraine

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Britain’s embassy in Kiev risked provoking fresh Russian anger on Wednesday by posting a diagram on Twitter “to help the Kremlin spot its tanks” in Ukraine.

“Putin still denying Russia’s troops and hardware are in Ukraine. Here’s a guide to help the Kremlin spot its tanks,” said a post on the @UKinUkraine Twitter feed.

Attached was a graphic featuring the logo of the UK Foreign Office showing how to identify a T-72BM Russian tank and photographs showing sightings of the same tanks “not used by Ukrainian military” in Ukraine.

UK in Ukraine (@UKinUkraine) #Путін досі заперечує,що війська та озброєння #Росії в Україні.Ось інструкція,щоб допомогти Кремлю виявити свої танки pic.twitter.com/3oFb1SuWWo

Russia denies military involvement in eastern Ukraine, but the west has been fiercely critical of its role and is putting pressure on the Kremlin to resolve the crisis.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, left last weekend’s G20 summit in Australia early after criticisms from leaders including Barack Obama and David Cameron.

On Tuesday, Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke of a buildup of troops, artillery and air defence systems inside Ukraine and on the Russian side of the border.

The unrest involving pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 4,100 people in the past seven months, according to the UN.

A further two Ukrainian soldiers and five civilians had been killed in fighting in the east during the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian security officials in Kiev said on Wednesday.