July 17, 2014
Events are fast-moving, but it is important to be clear about what we, in the public domain, know so far about MH17 and the surrounding circumstances. This post will be updated throughout the day (LAST UPDATED 4:26 PM EST). Please alert us to new information as well as any errors.
MH17, a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane, crashed in eastern Ukraine with 295 souls aboard. It was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur (see the Malaysia Airlines tweet announcing lost contact with the aircraft here).
Preliminary reports indicate that among the dead were 23 Americans, as many as 10 Britons, and 71 Dutch citizens.
It was flying at 33,000 feet and fell off radar between Donestk, a rebel contested city, and the Russian border.
Right before reports of the crash were announced, separatist leader Igor Girkin claimed “we just downed a plane, an AN-26…We have issued warnings not to fly in our airspace.” The AN-26 is a turboprop military and civilian transport plane. This claim was made on a social media site and was removed once reports on MH17 came out. Girkin is a Russian citizen from Moscow and the Ukrainian government alleges he is a Russian intelligence asset.
A pro-Russian, pro-separatist website based in Crimea reported that separatists claimed to have a Buk self-propelled surface-to-air missile system. An an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister claims that Flight MH17 was brought down by a Buk missile system. Watch this video of the Buk missile system in action (with an odd soundtrack). See the specs on the Buk here.
Today (17 July), an Associated Press reporter claimed to have seen a Buk missile system in Snizhne, a rebel held town in Ukraine’s east.Snizhne is very close to the area where MH17 crashed.
This morning (17 July), Pentagon Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said, “We are concerned about the build-up we see along the Russia-Ukraine border. Overall, the increase in Russian presence along the Ukrainian border is concerning.”
Last night (16 July) White House officials held a conference call with reporters during which officials claimed that Russia continues to supply Ukrainian seapratists with weapons, including heavy weapons.
A Ukrainian Su-25 jet was shot down over the Donetsk region yesterday (16 July). The Ukrainian government blamed a Russian warplane. Separatists claimed responsibility. Russia denied responsibility.
Three days ago (14 July) a Ukrainian military An-26 transport jet was shot down from an altitude of 21,000 feet with eight crew on board. Ukraine Security Service chief Valentin Nalivaychenko said the plane was hit by a Russian missile fired from the Russian side of the border. Two members of the crew were taken prisoner by rebels.
4:26 PM
Tatyana Dvoryadkina, co-chair of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic said: “We do not have any idea what this is about and who shot down the plane. We’re heading there now to investigate everything independently.”
President Obama and President Putin have spoken on the phone at least once.
Alexander Boraday, the “prime minister” of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said he might be open to a two to three day truceto allow the remains of the airliner and its passengers to be recovered.
Britain has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Senator John McCain: “If it is a result of either separatist or Russian actions mistakenly believing this was a Ukrainian war plane, I think there’s gonna be hell to pay and there should be.”
Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks
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