The worst excuses Russia has given for its forces being in Ukraine

Russia has employed several excuses for its troops being found inside Ukraine - often in the face of almost incontrovertible evidence, such as satellite images.

Yesterday, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power accused Russia of "outright lies", saying the country "has manipulated, it has obfuscated, it has outright lied".

Here are the excuses Russia has given so far when confronted with claims its soldiers have strayed into Ukraine.

1. They were volunteers

There are Russian volunteers in eastern parts of Ukraine. No one is hiding that

• Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin

2. They are from video games

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on reports about the satellite images on Friday said previous imagery was from video games and the Nato photos "happen to be much the same quality".

“It’s not the first time we've heard wild guesses, though facts have never been presented so far,” he said according to Russia Today.

3. It was an aid convoy

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of a "flagrant violation of international law" when its aid convoys entered Ukraine without its permission, the BBC reports.

4. It was an accident

After Ukraine said they had captured ten Russian soldiers in Ukraine, near the Russian border, Russian officials said the whole thing was a misunderstanding, reports the BBC.

The soldiers really did participate in a patrol of a section of the Russian-Ukrainian border, crossed it by accident on an unmarked section, and as far as we understand showed no resistance to the armed forces of Ukraine when they were detained.

• Russian defence ministry source to Russian news agency RIA Novosti

5. They were on holiday

Pro-Russian separatist Alexander Zakharchenko claimed Russian soldiers in Ukraine were just "on holiday, the Guardian reports.

And moreover, I'll say it openly, we also have current soldiers, who decided to take their holidays not on the beach, but among us.

• Alexander Zakharchenko