Studying pictures taken in Georgia, Finnish authorities are trying to determine whether Russian armed forces were wearing M/05, a pattern that is based on digital photographs of Finnish forests and legally protected in the European Union.

A spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry flatly denied copying the Finnish pattern.

"None of us uses the M/05 camouflage for their uniforms," a ministry spokesman said. "No one wears it. Our quartermasters haven't heard of it. It seems that the Finns simply wanted to publicize their product and came up with this story."