A Russian tourist who gave away the military position of Vladimir Putin's forces as he posed for a holiday snap in speedos has been "thanked" by the Ukrainian defence ministry.
The middle-aged man was standing in front of an S-400 air defence system and waving for the camera near the coastal city of Yevpatoria, in western Crimea.
Since the photo was posted, the Ukrainian defence ministry poked fun at the man in speedos and said "keep up the good work", for showing them where the Russian military units were.
It tweeted: "Maybe we are being too hard on Russian tourists...
"Sometimes they can be really helpful. Like this man taking pictures at Russian air defense positions near Yevpatoria, in occupied Crimea.
"Thank you and keep up the good work!"
The location of the anti-aircraft weaponry was confirmed with cross-analysis of a previous photo of the area dated to July of this year. Ukraine has previously asking Russian tourists not to visit Crimea unless they fancied an "unpleasantly hot summer break".
But many Russian tourists haven’t been put off visiting parts of Russian occupied areas by the Black Sea despite the shelling.
Last week groups visiting Sevastopol and the Crimean capital Simferopol both said that they were enjoying themselves on holiday despite blasts at a Russian airbase nearby.
Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has always been an important destination for holidaymakers.
Tourists interviewed in the beach city of Sevastopol and the main train station in the Crimean capital Simferopol said they were focused on having a good time.
"Regardless of explosions and other diversions we are not changing our holiday plans. We are going to stay here, with pleasure ... and relax in this wonderful sun and wonderful sea," said Yury Znamenskiy, a singer.
Adults and children splashed in the water and lay on the beach. In the background a Russian warship could be seen while at one point a military helicopter flew low overhead.
Evgenia Romashova, from Zheleznogorsk in western Russia, said she had been worried about the blasts but decided to come anyway. "This is our favourite town," she said.
In Simferopol, a steady stream of trains arrived with tourists from across Russia.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We are not afraid," said a smiling Rakhmat Gusman Babay from Kazan, Tatarstan, some 1,240 miles to the northeast.
Russia has made few advances in recent months after its troops were repelled from Kyiv in the early weeks of the war. Ukraine's top military intelligence official, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Wednesday Russia's offensive was slowing because of moral and physical fatigue in its ranks and Moscow's "exhausted" resource base.
At the same time the Ukraine military bolstered by weapons sent from Western countries have had success at shelling Russian military positions.
