Breaking news: Malaysian Airliner shot down over Ukraine

[telemann.livejournal.com]

A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 with 295 people aboard crashed on Thursday in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, an area roiled by fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials said the plane might have been shot down, possibly by a Russian-made antiaircraft system. Eastern Ukraine has been roiled for months by a violent pro-Russian separatist uprising in which a number of military aircraft have been downed. But this would be the first commercial airline disaster to result from the hostilities. Despite the turmoil in eastern Ukraine, the commercial airspace over that part of the country is a heavily trafficked route and has remained open.



New York Times with more information, video and analysis.


The incident touched off immediate finger-pointing between Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government. Eastern Ukraine separatist leader Alexander Borodai told Reuters that Ukrainian military forces shot the jet down, but Kiev denied involvement and labeled the incident a "terrorist act." The President of Ukraine on behalf of the State expresses its deepest and most sincere condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in this terrible tragedy," said a statement released by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office. "Every possible search and rescue effort is being made." Separatist groups reportedly blocked Ukrainian officials from the scene, and later said the "black box," or flight data recorder, had been sent to Moscow. KT McFarland, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan, and a Fox News national security analyst said the attack was most likely the work of Russian separatists, not the Russian or Ukrainian armies.

Source.

Comments

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

Whatever else - back to the plane issue.
Does anyone here read Spanish? One of our news agencies claims that this twitter https://twitter.com/spainbuca is a Spanish air control employee who says that just before the crash he observed to Ukranian interceptors near the Malaysian plane.

[jom-art.livejournal.com]

yes, I can read Spanish. The guys said he saw 2 Ukrainian fighter jets right before plane disappeared from their radars. Operator was amazed how fast it happened.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Surface to air missiles are blamed, meaning Russian anti-aircraft placements.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

Russian-made maybe. Buk SAM's are in production (with mods) since 1979 and were sold to many countries, not even counting those remaining in Ukraine and other countries when USSR collapsed and military hardware was divided among several states.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Obama says Malaysian plane shot down by missile from rebel-held part of Ukraine (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/missile-downs-malaysia-airlines-plane-over-ukraine-killing-298-kiev-blames-rebels/2014/07/18/d30205c8-0e4a-11e4-8c9a-923ecc0c7d23_story.html)

Looks like rebels were behind this.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

Maybe there was such a terrible mistake made. Does look like it indeed. However, such mistakes although luckily unfrequent do happen. I don't think they should be a ground for worsening of international relations.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Things are about to get a lot worse for the pro-Russian separatists and their masters.

[mudryikot.livejournal.com]

What masters?