MH17 and Moscow’s Magical Mystery Jets

The Interpreter Magazine ^ | July 22nd 2014 | Mark Galeotti

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

MH17 and Moscow’s Magical Mystery Jets

By Mark Galeotti

After a weekend of virtual silence—while elements of the Russian media tried to fill the infospace with all kinds of lurid and rapidly-debunked rumor and conjecture—Monday saw Moscow hit back at the allegations that Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by separatist rebels with Russian government assistance. Beyond President Putin’s strangely constrained personal statement (not the body language of a man at all comfortable with the situation), a key element were the “ten questions” posed by Lt. Gen. Andrey Kartopolov, chief of the General Staff’s Main Operations Directorate and Lt. Gen. Igor Makushev, chief of the Air Force Main Staff at a press conference on 21 July.

The overall intent is nakedly to shift blame onto Kiev (and Washington) and to provide the basis for subsequent challenges to the inevitable findings of any serious international enquiry: that MH17 was shot down by a rebel missile (as they themselves have been overheard admitting).

Broadly speaking, the “questions”—all unashamedly leading ones—framing Russia’s implicit defense argument concern three broad questions: the shift in MH17’s flight from its original route; the alleged presence of Ukrainian air defense units in the area, with their radars active; and the alleged presence of Ukrainian military aircraft close to the airliner shortly before and after it had been shot down.

The question of the aircraft’s route has been explained already. The Malaysian government has affirmed that there was no last-minute course change, just a slight deviation necessitated by a thunderstorm to the south and requested by the pilot.

Likewise, the issue of the presence of Ukrainian government air defense systems is something of a red herring, not least given the clear evidence that the separatists had deployed at least one Buk system in the area. Considering the evidence of increasing direct Russian intervention in the conflict—not least cross-border rocket barrages—then it would only be prudent for Kiev to watch its skies. But any attack from where the Russians allege the Ukrainian Buk-M1s were based would have meant the missile would have flown over rebel positions. It is hard to believe that no one would have noticed a large, loud, bright missile streaking through the skies above them.

[Buffalo Head]

"I do not believe the separatists/rebels meant to shoot down a civilian airliner. I think they thought it was a cargo aircraft or, more likely, a surveillance aircraft, from Ukraine. So they shot it down. They are at war."

Yes, almost certainly. Stuff happens. See post Number 11. It took us 8 years to come almost clean on a remarkably similar incident.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Why it hasn’t been done yet is fueling the conspiracies, and raising questions.

What's fueling conspiracies are pathological liars working for the Russkies, like you.

[Buffalo Head]

P.S. Occam’s Razor almost certainly applies.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Another very important fact...IMHO, the major responsibility for this horrible disaster has to fall on Malaysian Airlines.

It was flying at 33,000 feet, making it unreachable to anything but the most advanced systems, which not just anybody can use. Furthermore, it was not the only airline using that airspace. If it was going to get shot down, it would have to be as a result of the actions of a state, like Russia.

Did the Russians put one of their systems in eastern Ukraine for the separatists/rebels to use? Very possible.

NATO already spotted these systems on both sides of the border, along with training going on, which they characterized as Russian officers training "separatists."

Furthermore, they were photographed entering into Ukraine.

Did the separatists/rebels capture a Ukrainian system and use it? Also possible.

That's what they claimed originally, before they went back and deleted their claims, that they had, in fact, captured such a system from the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians however say they are't missing any, and, number two, it is common practice for the Russkies to claim they captured something before sending it in. The only media source that originated the story that carried news of the "capture" was a single Russian news source, with no other sources independently reporting on it.

[McGruff]

I forgot about the July 17th computer glitch.

[tcrlaf]

“What’s fueling conspiracies are pathological liars working for the Russkies, like you.”

Yet ANOTHER ad hominem attack from you? How unsurprising....

Why don’t YOU tell the class why our Sat and Intel, as well as the ATC radar tapes haven’t been released.

[Grzegorz 246]

“Why don’t YOU tell the class why our Sat and Intel, as well as the ATC radar tapes haven’t been released.”

So are the one pushing forward this nonsense, so you tell us. Evil America covering up crimes of Kiev fascists perhaps ? What’s the current storyline ?