Updated: World pressure increases on Russia as investigation of the Malaysian jet crashed over Ukraine is being hindered by the Russian backed terrorists

Crashed Malaysian airplane
(Image: DW)

Five days have passed since the terrible tragedy of Malaysian MH17 passenger jet happened over the territory of the volatile Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The wreckages of the crashed plane though still remain on the ground, and Ukrainian experts and international investigators including the members of the OSCE mission have been denied access to the crash site to examine it.

Malaysian Boeing-77 heading from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur crashed over Ukraine and fell near the settlement of Hrabove, close to Torez and Snizhne settlements, on Thursday, 17 July. According to the preliminary results of the investigation and analysis of the satellite pictures and evidences on the ground, the airplane was hit by a rocket launched by a ground-to-air rocket launcher, most likely Russian made SA-11, known also as “Buk”. This rocket launcher can reach and hit the targets on the height of nearly 20000-30000 meters and is aimed to hit the military airplanes. Malaysian airliner was flying on the height of 10000 meters, using the usual route and the sky corridor considered being as a safe one.

The tragedy with the Malaysian airplane left 298 people dead, as there were no survivors. 15 members of crew and 283 passengers, among them 80 children, were killed in a crash. Two thirds of the passengers were Dutch citizens. There were also citizens of USA, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Belgium, France, Philippines, Australia, New Zeeland and others on the board, a total number of nine countries. In addition to that 100 medics and scientists who were heading to the international medical conference in Australia about AIDS were also on the board of the crashed liner.

One of the rebels standing in front of the plane debris
(Image: Mashable)

Ukrainian officials and Armed Forces declared immediately that the plane was hit by the rocket fired either by Russian military or by the Russian backed terrorists. Ukraine has “Buk” rocket launchers on the balance of its military, but all of them were located in other places, very far from the zone of an anti-terrorist operation. Ukrainian military didn’t use such a weapon in its operation as the terrorists in Donbas region don’t have aviation. In addition to that Ukrainian side is ready to present all the evidences that Ukrainian forces couldn’t shot the Boeing. There are satellite pictures, there are dates of the intelligence, claimed Ukrainian officials, and Ukraine is ready to present all the evidences and all the information for the international and independent investigation to be conducted.

Ukraine in its turn accuses Russian backed terrorists of crashing the jet. There are photo and video evidences of the presence of several “Buk” rocket launchers transported from Russian into Ukrainian territory through the border, part of which are still under control of the terrorists. Ukrainian SBU (Intelligence Service) has released also intercepted calls between the terrorists and their Russian chiefs, officers of Russian Army, GRU and FSB. Some of these talks indicated that terrorists did possess the “Buk” launcher.

A part of a crashed MH17 in the field
(Image: BBC)

Three Ukrainian airplanes, two cargo planes and one fighter plane (AN-26) were shot down by the Russian and Russian backed terrorists during the recent weeks, and some of these planes were flying on the height of nearly 7000 meters. It tells us that the terrorists did have the weapons allowing them to target the planes on such a height.

In addition to that the terrorists and their leader Igor Girkin (so called “Strelok”, who is a Russian citizen and GRU officer) was praising the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republik forcesfor shooting down Ukrainian AN-26 plane. There were publications about it in the social networks, and SBU intercepted also the phone conversations between Girkin and his Russian aides regarding the hit plane. Later though, when the terrorists realized that they hit a civilian airplane, these posts disappeared from the social networks. The talks between the terrorists and their Russian aides after realizing their mistake were also intercepted by SBU. All these recordings point at the terrorists as those accountable for the terrible tragedy, and demonstrate also Russian direct involvement in it, as Russia not only supports the terrorists with money, logistic and weapons, but it also assists them in carrying out their “operations”. USA Intelligence Service, in its turn, declared that there are no doubts in authenticity of these recordings and that they were presented to all the sides involved in the investigation of the tragic crash.

One of the rebels and terrorist leaders blocking the OSCE and
Ukrainian investigators from reaching the crash site
(Image: Kyiv Post)

It’s worth mentioning also that USA declared officially that the satellite images and information of the Intelligence Services, NATO and Pentagon information clearly showed that the plane was hit by a rocket fired from the rocket-launcher. The shot was made from the territory which is under total control of the Russian backed terrorists till now, and this territory is very close to the Russian border. Ukrainian side in its turn has arrested yesterday two Russian citizens, who were soldiers and specialists for the “Buk” missile systems. Thus Ukraine decaled that Russia is directly involved in this terrorist attack. In addition to that “Buk” is an extremely complicated system and it’s maintaining and operation requires professional skills. Ukraine though officially demands Russia to give Ukrainian side and the investigators the names and titles of those servicemen of Russian Armed Forces who carried out or assisted an attack.

Western leaders started their increasing pressure on Russian president Putin demanding him to deescalate situation in Eastern Ukraine and to cooperate in order to restore security and peace and to end this violence threatening the whole world currently. It’s worth mentioning that the NH17 tragedy actually opened the eyes of Europeans and the Western world on what Russian current regime is and on what is really going on in Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk stated recently that the West finally saw that there is no civil war in Eastern Ukraine, that there is a real but undeclared Russian led war against Ukraine, which affected now so many people beyond Ukraine as well.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was outraged and shocked with the outcomes of the aggression in Eastern Ukraine led to the Boeing crash. She called for the ceasefire and for an immediate investigation of this tragedy. She also stated the talks must be held and that the crisis should be resolved only politically, as she sees no alternative to the political resolving of this terrible deepening crisis. But Putin should demonstrate his readiness to cooperate and to stop the violence, destabilization and provocations in Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in his turn stated that Putin has the last chance to show that he is keen to resolve the crisis peacefully and to deescalate the situation, but unfortunately till now there are no indication of his readiness to do that.

Personal belongings of the MH17 jet
(Image: Mashable)

Dutch Prime Minister demanded an immediate and independent investigation of the tragedy and demanded also that those responsible will be punished for that terrible crime. He also expressed his anger and outrages of the fact that Russian and pro-Russian terrorists, who still continue controlling the territory and the perimeter of the crash site, don’t allow the international investigators to the site and remove the bodies of the killed passengers.

Meanwhile, as the investigation of the video evidences and satellite pictures in ongoing, Russian terrorists block the site of the plane crash and deny access to it to Ukrainian investigative team, to international investigators and to OSCE members as well. The experts tried to get an access to the zone several times, but they were not allowed to go inside the perimeter. The terrorists blocking the zone of 25 square kilometers claimed that they don’t give permission for the investigators to work here, as there are already some “professionals” working on the site. Though there is no information and details about these “professionals”.

Some untrained local people are working on the site looking for the bodies and bodies’ parts of the killed passengers of the jet, and some strange people presenting themselves as “experts” are working on the territory of a plane crash. Despite the recent claims of the terrorists controlling this territory that the safe corridor will be given to the investigative teams, neither OSCE members nor Ukrainian and international investigators could manage to get to the crash site.

Meanwhile the terrorists remove the bodies from the scene and transport them somewhere in the unknown direction, allegedly to the Donetsk morgue, but it’s still unclear. Ukrainian officials claim there were at least 38 bodies transported by the terrorists and taken from the site of crash. Eyewitnesses and journalists trying to work in the area though claim there were nearly 80 bodies taken and moved somewhere away from the site.

In addition to that there are many alarming reports about looting of the terrorists and come locals on the crash site, as the personal belongings valuable things and bank cards of the killed passengers are being stolen.

Rescuers working in the field
(Image: Mashable)

Experts say that these actions of the pro-Russian terrorists show clearly that they are trying to manipulate the investigation and to damage the site in order to hide and to cover up some details which allegedly could prove Russian involvement in the terrorist attack. Thus, Yevgen Marchuk, former Ukrainian Head of the National Defense and Security Council, who has a great experience in the investigations of such cases, declared that these actions are nothing else but an attempt to hide the evidences and to mess up the scene to make the international investigators unable to find the evidences of Russian involvement. Thus, the bodies and bodies’ parts which were removed from the site correspond with this idea, as terrorists remove not all the bodies, but only specific ones. Probably they have specific injuries or parts and pieces of the weapon with which the airplane was hit. The same thing applies to the airplane parts also being taken away and moved somewhere by the terrorists. The fact that the “black boxes” are still in the hands of the terrorists and some “interested persons” brings the valuable of them to zero, as the information could be totally changed and manipulated.

Thus, the terrorists continue to block the crash site and prevent the investigators and rescue workers from carrying out their mission, as international powers continue to pressure Putin demanding him to deescalate the conflict and to stop supporting the terrorists and supplying them with the weapons, including the modern and sophisticated weapons like “Buk”.

Monday, 21 July, was marked with the violent events, as the fight erupted near the site of the plane crash. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko made a statement calling for an immediate halt of violence and fighting in the zone of 40 square kilometers around the crash site in order to allow the experts to work on the site.

Meanwhile, pressure increased on Russia, demanding its president Putin to use his influenfce and to make the Russian backed terrorists in the area to stop violating the crash site and to allow international, OSCE and Ukrainian experts to work nornally.

Ukrainian rescue workers in their turn finished searchig for the bodies and bodies parts of the passengers of the MH17 flight. 208 bodies and the bodies' parts of nearly 80 other people were reportedly found in the area. Special train with refrigerators was brought to the nearest to the crash site train station in Torez. The bodies were put there and expected to move to Kharkiv for the expertise, as the international experts' delegations and also the relatives of the slain passengers arrive in Kharkiv. Though the train stood motionless all day long on the station, as the terrorists, controlling the area, didn't allow it to move. Earlier the Russian backed terrorists have moved several dozen bodies on the truck in the unknown direction, probably, to the Donetsk morgue, where some "experts" would make an autopsy, but who were these experts and where did they come from remained unknown. Later the bodies were brought back and put into the refrigerator train. Late in the night of Monday the train finally started its way to Kharkiv.

As for the so called "black boxes" of the crashed MH17 plane, the terrorists claimed to find them almost immediately after the tragedy, but they refused to give it to the Ukrainian specialists due to "lack of trust" and declared they will hand the "black boxes" to the Russian specialists through the border with Russia in Donetsk region. This move provoked anger and outrage both in Ukraine and abroad, the same as a terrible treatment of the the dead bodies of the passengers and of their personalbelongigns as well, not to mention the fact that the parts of the crashed plane and its debris were moved in the area, while some of its parts were reportedly taken away from the scene.

Ukrainians bringing flowers, toys and candles to the Dutch
and Malaysian embassies in Kyiv
(Image: CBC)

Ukrainian SBU intercepted the phone talksw between the Russian backed terrorists and their aides, where they were being discussing the issue of the "black boxes" which had to be found "as soon as possible" and which had to never come into the hands of Ukrainians and international experts, including OSCE, according to the conversation. Though late in the night of Monday the leader of local terrorists Oleksandr Boroday met the international experts team and handed them the two "black boxes", found at the crash site. Though there are serious doubts regarding the credibility of he data of the "black boxes", as they could be seriously manipulated.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has already called the MH17 tragedy a terrorist attack and declared that those responsible for it will be held accountable. He also stated that Russian and pro-Russian terrorists commit at least two terrible war crimes: first is murdering of the innocent civilians and shooting down the airplane, and the second is a terrible mishandling the bodies.