Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko speaks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore recently. Source: Getty Images

The picture, which has been widely condemned on social media since surfacing on Twitter three days ago, shows the soldiers leaning lazily against a piece of debris featuring the Malaysian Airlines logo.

The picture emerged as Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko flew into Australia last night for a three-day trip which will take in three cities including Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

Mr Poroshenko is expected to discuss the investigation into the shooting down of MH17 and how to go about bringing those responsible to justice.

The Malaysian Airlines 777 was brought down over eastern Ukraine by a surface-to air-missile, killing all 298 people on board, including 38 Australians, in July.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has rejected accusations that his country was behind the attack.

Rumours are rife in the region that the Russian military shot down MH17 by mistake and that the intended target was an Aeroflot passenger plane packed with Russian citizens.

The theory is that the Russians planned to frame Ukraine over the attack, thereby giving Putin an excuse or reason to invade Ukraine.

“Australia’s relationship with Ukraine has deepened since the tragic downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17,” Mr Abbott said in a statement yesterday.

“President Poroshenko’s visit provides an opportunity to build on the strong spirit of cooperation forged since the tragic events of MH17 and to discuss our shared commitment to a thorough and robust investigation and to bringing those responsible to justice.

“It is also an opportunity for Australia to reaffirm its support for Ukraine in the face of continuing threats to its territorial integrity.”

Australia has contributed nearly $100 million to a global fund to help Ukraine spearhead economic reforms and $1 million in humanitarian aid.

A ceasefire remains in place between the two warring countries but reports have emerged of a mysterious spate of bombings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Photos of buildings targeted in the mysterious bombings in Ukraine are being posted on social media Source: Twitter

The blasts have triggered fears that Russia is trying to destabilise this key defence hub, which has so far manage to stay out of rebel hands.

Barely a week goes by without another bombing reported against Ukrainian military targets in the city of 1.4 million that once served as Ukraine’s capital.

Most have been low-level attacks leaving few victims, but the targets are symbolic: a National Guard base on December 2; an anti-aircraft unit and military hospital in late November.

Investigators say they often find traces of plastic explosive — common during Soviet times and often sourced from Russia.

Plastic explosive was used to bomb a bar collecting money for Ukrainian soldiers in the city centre on November 10, leaving 11 injured and the building destroyed.

The city is known as a hub of the Ukrainian defence industry — with several aerospace manufacturers and the factory that builds the Malyshev tank.

In one of the more dramatic attacks, insurgents used flamethrowers against a building at the Malyshev factory and a military base in August.

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko enjoys the support of Australia, which shares the view that MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian forces. Source: Getty Images

Police arrested six Kharkiv locals with flamethrowers, which they said were sourced from Russia, along with anti-tank mines and Kalashnikov rifles.

Ukrainian security services (SBU) also claimed to have foiled a plot to kill Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders when he was visiting the Malyshev factory in November.

The factory was being used to store the remains of victims from MH17.

The SBU released a video confession of a woman claiming she had been recruited by Russia’s military intelligence to lay explosives along the route of the Dutch delegation.

In the heightened atmosphere of the war and the vicious diplomatic tussle between Ukraine and Russia, it has become difficult to verify the allegations.

Russia denies interfering in the rebellions of eastern Ukraine, but a wealth of evidence from NATO, Kiev and Western governments suggests otherwise.

Kharkiv’s defence industries make it a prized target for both Ukrainian rebels and the Kremlin, analysts say.

The attacks “are aimed at sowing panic and destabilising this strategic region”, said Anatoliy Oktysyuk of the Centre for International Political Studies in Kiev.

“In Kharkiv, Ukraine is facing a new type of attack ... which show they are well-planned and carried out by professionals.”