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Ukrainian Separatists Limit Investigators’ Access to Jet Crash Site (Drunken Gunmen)
Washington Post ^ | July 18 | Michael Birnbaum and Anthony Faiola

Posted on 07/18/2014 9:54:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway

The quest for clues in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet faced major obstacles Friday as the rebel militias that Ukraine blames for the disaster limited access to the mammoth crash site strewn with airplane parts and bodies.

Ukrainian officials were trying to negotiate safe passage for teams of investigators and international observers deep in territory held by the pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

The fate of the airplane’s black-box data recorders, which could give crucial information about the plane’s final moments, was unclear, with neither side acknowledging possession. And rebels argued among themselves whether to agree to a brief cease-fire to allow the bodies of victims to be taken to morgues elsewhere in the country.

Rebel leaders said they would leave victims and airplane parts in place to facilitate the investigation and vowed to allow investigators to visit the site because, they said, they had nothing to hide in the catastrophe in which 298 people died.

Ukrainian officials moved swiftly Friday to link the plane disaster to the rebels, saying that the Boeing 777-200 had been downed by separatists using a surface-to-air missile, possibly with direct Russian aid. President Obama said Friday that U.S. intelligence indicates that a Russian-made missile downed the plane from rebel territory, but he stopped short of saying who pulled the trigger.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: russia; ukraine
MH17 crash: Drunk gunmen prevent monitors from entering crash site
1 posted on 07/18/2014 9:54:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Would rebels be able to operate the system ?


2 posted on 07/18/2014 10:02:31 PM PDT by reefdiver (Be the Best you can be Whatever you Dream to be)
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To: nickcarraway

3 posted on 07/18/2014 10:14:40 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: nickcarraway

“(Russian missile, rebel territory) but he stopped short of saying who pulled the trigger.”
President “Let’s not be hasty” Treebeard

I believe this alphabet network wordsmith deserves a big hand for eloquently stringing those pearls, don’t you folks? So what do you say, let’s put our hands together for good ol’ Winston What’shisname!


4 posted on 07/18/2014 10:20:45 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: reefdiver; nickcarraway
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday it was unlikely the separatists could have effectively operated that missile system without help from knowledgeable personnel.

That's from nickcarraway's link

5 posted on 07/18/2014 10:26:10 PM PDT by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: rockrr

An article I read said our ambassador to the UN used the words that the administration could not “rule out the possibility” that there was Russian assistance.
This is ‘egg-sucking’, like Obama saying (my post above), “It was Russians, but I’m not going to say it was Russians.”
This is the pussyfooting way these people talk.

OK, if Obama and his girl UN ambassador say it’s so (sort of), who are we say it ain’t so?


6 posted on 07/18/2014 10:41:32 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: reefdiver

We have a winner!


7 posted on 07/18/2014 10:48:19 PM PDT by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: USNBandit; reefdiver

This exact SAM is specifically designed to protect deployed regiments from light fighter-bombers and cruise missiles outside of integrated air defenses. All you have is to select one of a few programs and as far as it has detected bandits in range to push button and let computers prioritize among targets and do the job. It doesn’t take much skills to operate one. The problem is base model doesn’t have any capabilities to identify aircraft, it’s primary mission to provide a sterile aerial environment for a ground troops in a certain area a system assigned to. By default it is ignoring friendly jets equipped with Soviet-style friend-foe transponders but it is not the case for commercial airplane which certainly doesn’t have one.


8 posted on 07/19/2014 12:03:00 AM PDT by wetphoenix
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To: wetphoenix

I have been thinking the same things as you about this missile launch.

A moron could probably launch the missile (a moron likely did)

I heard a talking head on FOX today say it would take 2 years to train a soldier to fire the missiles.

Advanced weapons like this can be operated (poorly) by almost anyone.... It’s like giving a grenade to a monkey.


9 posted on 07/19/2014 1:03:06 AM PDT by Bobalu (Israel is the most long-suffering and peace loving nation on Earth.)
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To: Bobalu

As a side note, rebel towns were under heavy air strikes from government forces for weeks, a number of jets were downed by the rebels and there were already rumors that they have systems capable to down aircraft well outside of typical manpad range, yet some idiot flew a commercial airplane over a place like that.
It is not that I’m looking for an excuse for rebels but their motives is better understood than for example actions of airline and Ukrainian ground control.


10 posted on 07/19/2014 1:13:00 AM PDT by wetphoenix
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To: wetphoenix

Exactly so, The Malaysian airline will be found at fault for traveling 700 miles across a war zone.

They were idiots.

The fool that shot them down was a worthless @#$%
(monkey with a grenade)


11 posted on 07/19/2014 1:57:23 AM PDT by Bobalu (Israel is the most long-suffering and peace loving nation on Earth.)
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To: nickcarraway

They are probably busy looting the scene as we speak - searching for jewelry, wallets, purses - and taking body parts as souvenirs. When they’re sure they have everything of value to them, the Russians will let investigators in.


12 posted on 07/19/2014 2:11:18 AM PDT by Tau Food (Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet


Never heard of this Schaeffer dude. But based on a two-minute google, I'd recommend he take an honorable, Jap-style exit.

Let his tombstone read, "Why I'm Pro-life and Pro-Obama" [February 7, 2008 10:46 PM]

13 posted on 07/19/2014 2:21:50 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: wetphoenix

Relevant article:

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/07/19/MH17-crash-Plane-did-not-stray/


14 posted on 07/19/2014 3:36:00 AM PDT by Paul R. (Leftists desire to control everything; In the end they invariably control nothing worth a damn.)
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