France and Germany's joint statement plays into Russia's hands
The author of the article with telling title “Russia demands prior warning after OSCE drone catches it transporting weapons of death to Ukraine by night” highlights that "The Joint Statement from France and Germany was undiplomatically blunt in its message. It not only condemned the downing of the drone but stated that:
“Evidence collected by SMM suggests Russia and the separatists it backs bear responsibility for the targeting and downing of the LR UAV, blinding the mission at this particular spot."
However, mentioning inexistent "separatists" - the notion which is a product of Russian propaganda from the very beginning gives to Russia an ideal pretext for plausible deniability. Russian hybrid and later military occupation from the start was orchestrated as a fake separatist uprising with the use of propaganda and other deception tools.
