666 Abbott says MH17 a 'terrorist' act; but US officials say Rebels downed it 'by mistake'

Abbott says MH17 a 'terrorist' act; but US officials say Rebels downed
it 'by mistake'

Newsletter published on 23 July 2014

(1) Abbott says MH17 a 'terrorist' act; but US officials say Rebels
downed it 'by mistake' (2) Abbott proposes declaring downing of MH17 a
terrorist attack
(3) Rebels likely downed MH17 'by mistake', say US officials
(4) Ukraine was responsible for keeping its airspace open: IATA. It
wanted overflight fees
(5) Other airlines were flying over East Ukraine, Aeroflot most of all
(6) MH17 was being trailed by a Ukrainian fighter jet - Russian Defense
Ministry
(7) MH17: Ukrainian fighter jet 'near' plane before crash; Russian TV
blames CIA
(8) Ukrainian military jet was flying near MH17 when it was shot down:
Russia
(9) Russia produces photo of Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet close to MH17
before crash
(10) Russia asks US for satellite images to support its claim that
Rebels downed MH17

(1) Abbott says MH17 a 'terrorist' act; but US officials say Rebels
downed it 'by mistake' - by Peter Myers, July 23, 2014

Tony Abbott, Australian PM, claimed that the downing of MH17 was a
'terrorist' act, implying foreknowledge and intent (item 2). But US
officials say Rebels downed it 'by mistake' (item 3), bringing Abbott
down to size.

Abbott, John McCain and David Cameron are loose cannons, warmongers
relishing the prospect of World War III. They represent the
military-industrial complex Eisenhauer warned about.

Abbot is the more dangerous, because Australia is currently President of
the UN Security Council.

Other airlines were flying over East Ukraine in the week before the
downing, Aeroflot most of all (item 5). It is highly unlikely, then,
that Russia would have been engaged in shooting such planes down.

Russia has produced a photo of a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter close to MH17
before the crash. This presentation, by Lieutenant-General Andrei
Kartopolov, has been carried in many newspapers, but not given much
coverage in the main US media - as shown by a Google search on "MH17"
"Kartopolov".

Nevertheless I think it most likely that MH17 was shot down by
Separatists, because Ukraine has been attacking them from the air, while
they themselves have no planes.

However, as for responsibility, if it comes to a court case, that is a
thorny issue. Ukraine had responsibility for keeping its airspace open
(item 4). International civil aviation bodies also had responsibility
for unequivocally telling airlines not to use the airspace; some such
bodies gave warnings, but they were only advisory, not mandatory.
Malaysia Airlines had responsibility for ignoring those warnings. The US
and Germany had responsibility for backing the coup against the legally
elected President, which led to the civil war. It's a far cry from the
simple picture Tony Abbott cast.

Readers may wonder why I have ignored some of the conspiracy theories
around on the internet, eg that MH17 was the same plane that went
missing as MH370, and that the dead bodies of MH17 were the corpses from
MH370. DNA tests will, I expect, show that the dead of MH17 were people
who had boarded at Amsterdam. What will remain of that theory then?

Let me say clearly: such theories are beneath me. Although I am a
conspiracy theorist myself, I insist on the highest standard for logic
and evidence, because there's a lot of rubbish out there, and government
propogandists are active in conspiracy circles, engaging in "cognitive
infiltration" (look that term up). If you mix only with those of like
mind, you will lack the caution that comes from wider exposure.

(2) Abbott proposes declaring downing of MH17 a terrorist attack

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/mh17-abbott-government-may-declare-downing-of-plane-a-terrorist-attack-triggering-payments-to-families-20140721-3cajb.html

MH17: Abbott government may declare downing of plane a terrorist attack,
triggering payments to families

July 21, 2014

The federal government is considering declaring the MH17 disaster a
terrorist attack, which would trigger payments of up to $75,000 to the
families of Australian victims.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday that he had sought advice over
whether the air disaster, which has killed 37 Australians citizens and
residents, would be classed as a terrorist act. [...]

(3) Rebels likely downed MH17 'by mistake', say US officials

http://www.smh.com.au/world/rebels-likely-downed-mh17-by-mistake-say-us-officials-20140723-zvw2d.html

Date     July 23, 2014 - 10:53AM

Washington: The US government believes that pro-Russian separatists most
likely shot down a Malaysia Airlines jet "by mistake," not realising it
was a civilian passenger flight, US intelligence officials said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the "most
plausible explanation" for why the separatists fired what the United
States believes was a Russian-made SA-11 surface-to-air missile at
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was that they had mistaken it for some
other kind of aircraft. Part of the wreckage of MH17 at the crash site.

"Five days into it [following the crash] it does appear to be a
mistake," one of the officials said in a briefing for reporters.

The missile was probably fired by "an ill-trained crew" using a system
that requires some skill and training, an official said.

The officials said that their conclusion was backed up by intercepted
conversations of known pro-Russian separatists, whose voice prints had
been verified by US agencies. A Malaysian expert examines the MH17 black
box after receiving it from pro-Russian rebels.

The speakers initially bragged about shooting down a transport plane,
but later acknowledged that they might have made a mistake, the
officials said.

Russian operatives have been spotted on the ground in eastern Ukraine
but the US intelligence community had no explicit proof that Russians
were with the SA-11 unit that fired on the airliner, officials said.

Although the US had observed a flow of heavy weapons, including air
defence systems, into Ukraine from Russia, intelligence agencies had not
seen the larger SA-11 missiles being moved into the country before the
airliner was downed, officials said. Pro-Russian separatists stand guard
at a crash site.

The Russian military had been training the rebels at a large base in
Rostov on various weapons, including air defence systems. But US
officials said there was no explicit evidence of the Russians training
the separatists on the SA-11 missile batteries.

The downing of the airliner, in which all 298 people aboard were killed,
deepened the Ukrainian crisis. Separatist gunmen in the Russian-speaking
east have been fighting government forces since pro-Western protesters
in Kiev forced out the pro-Moscow president and Russia annexed Crimea
earlier this year.

US President Barack Obama's administration has said it is convinced that
MH17 was brought down last Thursday by an SA-11 missile fired from
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists. It
has said the assessment was backed up both by unspecified intelligence
information and by extensive social media postings by both the
separatists and Ukrainian government.

The intelligence officials said on Tuesday that they had reports of as
many as a dozen aircraft being fired on from separatist-controlled areas
during two months of fighting between the Ukrainian government and rebel
forces. Two of those were large transport planes, the officials said.

One of the officials said that until the Malaysia Airlines plane was
hit, most if not all the aircraft targeted had been flying at low altitude.

Officials said the US did not know that the separatists were in
possession or control of SA-11 missile systems until after the Malaysia
Airlines plane was struck.

Separatist leaders have denied they brought the plane down, and Russia
has denied any involvement in the incident, and suggested the Ukrainian
government was to blame.

The senior intelligence officials said they chose to brief reporters
partly to counter what they called misleading propaganda from Russia and
its state-controlled media over the incident.

Allegations that the Malaysian Boeing 777 took evasive action in the
air, similar to how a military plane might manoeuvre, had no basis and
the reports amounted to "a classic case of blaming the victims", the
senior official said.

The claim that the Ukrainian government had shot down the plan was not
realistic, as Kiev had no such missile systems in that area, which is
clearly under the control of the rebels. That scenario would mean
Ukrainian government troops would have had to fight their way into the
area, fire at the passenger plane and fight their way out again, the
official said.

"That is not a plausible scenario to me," the official said.

Reuters, AFP

(4) Ukraine was responsible for keeping its airspace open: IATA. It
wanted overflight fees

http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/ukraine-responsible-for-airspace-safety-iata-20140720-zuzmp.html

Ukraine responsible for airspace safety: IATA

July 20, 2014 - 2:43PM

Ukraine bears responsibility for keeping its airspace open to flights
like the doomed MH17, says the chief executive of the International Air
Transport Association, Tony Tyler.

"Airlines depend on governments and air traffic control authorities to
advise which air space is available for flight, and they plan within
those limits," he said.

"It is very similar to driving a car. If the road is open, you assume
that it is safe. If it's closed you find an alternate route."

However, an industry source said in this case, the "road" was more like
a toll road, as the cash-strapped Ukrainian government was receiving
overflight fees for each commercial flight above its territory and
therefore had a financial incentive to keep the airspace open as long as
possible.

Three days before MH17 was apparently shot down by a surface-to-air
missile, Ukraine had raised the minimum altitude open for commercial
flights over the eastern part of its country to 32,000 feet, from 26,000
feet previously after a military cargo jet was downed at 21,000 feet.

The Malaysian Transport Minister, Liow Tiong Lai, said on Saturday that
the pilot had requested to fly at 35,000 feet over Ukraine's airspace
but was told by air traffic control to fly at 33,000 feet.

It is unclear, however, whether flying at a slightly higher altitude
would have made any difference in this case as the BUK missile system
that allegedly shot down MH17 can hit targets with an altitude of up to
75,000 feet.

A graphic compiled by German magazine Der Spiegel with data from
FlightRadar24 showed Malaysia Airlines was not alone in flying over
eastern Ukrainian airspace in the week before MH17 was shot down.

Despite the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, Russian national carrier
Aeroflot flew over the area 86 times, while Singapore Airlines did so
the second most at 75 times. Other carriers that used the airspace
included Lufthansa, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad
Airways.

However, British Airways, Air France and Cathay Pacific were among the
major carriers noticeably absent from that routing.

The Emirates president, Tim Clark, said MH17 had "changed everything"
for his airline.

"We will no longer rest on protocols we had in place that we honestly
thought were safe," he told the Wall Street Journal.

Owen Zupp, the author of The Pilots Blog, said Malaysia Airlines and
others had been within their rights to fly over eastern Ukraine given it
had been deemed safe to fly by IATA and the International Civil Aviation
Organisation.

"However, some of the factors to be considered were undoubtedly the
restricted airspace below the route and the reason for that restriction
and the warnings that had been issued regarding operations in the
region," he said.

"These warnings had prompted other airlines to avoid the Ukraine
airspace. There is also the apparent shooting down of other aircraft in
the area and the feasibility of flying alternate routes."

Mr Zupp said there were undoubtedly real threats to consider prior to
the loss of MH17.

"That flight through the area may have been legal, but one must wonder
whether it was prudent?"

(5) Other airlines were flying over East Ukraine, Aeroflot most of all

http://www.thepilotsblog.com/the-pilots-news-and-videos/which-airlines-were-flying-through-ukraine-airspace-you-may-be-surprised

Which airlines were flying through Ukraine Airspace? You may be surprised...

An interesting graphic from
{http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/malaysia-airlines-mh17-karte-grafiken-route-flugroute-a-981784.html}
that claims to show the air traffic through Ukraine airspace in the 7
days prior to the loss of MH17.

What are your thoughts?

Aerofllot 86
Singapore Airlines 75
Ukraine International Airlines 62
Lufthansa 56
Malaysia Airlines 48
Belavia 46
Thai Airways 46
Air India 33
Pak International Airways 33
Jet Airways 31 [...]

(6) MH17 was being trailed by a Ukrainian fighter jet - Russian Defense
Ministry

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/07/22/russ-j22.html

Russian army data points to Ukrainian role in Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash

By Alex Lantier

22 July 2014

At a press conference yesterday in Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry
presented detailed radar and satellite data on the movement of forces
loyal to the Ukrainian regime in Kiev before Thursday's crash of
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. These data raise the most serious
questions about the possible involvement of the Kiev regime and its
Western backers in the crash.

The evidence presented by Lieutenant General Andrei Kartopolov, the head
of the Russian armed forces' Main Operations Directorate, show that MH17
was being trailed by a Ukrainian fighter jet and was in range of
Ukrainian Buk anti-aircraft missiles and fire control radars at the time
of the crash. The Russian data confirm Russian and European media
reports, citing Kiev air traffic controllers, that Ukrainian fighters
and air traffic control were following the plane intensively just before
it crashed.

Kartopolov presented radar data showing a Ukrainian jet, apparently a
Sukhoi-25 fighter, following the Malaysian jetliner. “A Ukraine Air
Force military jet was detected gaining height, its distance from the
Malaysian Boeing was 3 to 5 km,” he said. “[We] would like to get an
explanation as to why the military jet was flying along a civil aviation
corridor at almost at same time and at the same level as a passenger plane.”

Kartopolov noted that this fighter jet was itself in position to destroy
the passenger liner with a missile. “The SU-25 can reach an altitude of
10km, according to its specifications. It's equipped with R60 air-to-air
missiles that can hit a target at a distance of up to 12 km, up to 5km
for sure,” he said.

At the same time as it was being trailed by a Ukrainian fighter, MH 17
“deviated from its route towards the north,” Kartopolov reported. “The
maximum deviation was 14 km.”

Kartopolov also presented Russian satellite images dated July 14 of
Ukrainian Buk surface-to-air missile batteries—the type of missile that
Washington alleges brought down flight MH17—stationed near Luhansk and
at a Ukrainian radar station near Donetsk.

On July 17, the day of the MH17 crash, however, one of the missile
batteries was moved from this area to a location from which it could
have fired on and destroyed flight MH17.

This movement of the missile launcher is extremely unusual, as the
Ukrainian Buk missiles were being deployed to an area near the main
pro-Russian separatist bases. It begs the question of why the Kiev
regime would have risked sending a missile battery to such an exposed
location. Russian images after the crash, dated July 18, showed that the
missile battery had moved back to where it had been previously.

Kartopolov also said that Russian forces had detected increased
electronic activity by radar stations providing targeting information to
the Ukrainian Buk batteries.

“On July 17 the intensity of Ukrainian radar stations increased to the
maximum,” he said, adding that seven Ukrainian radar stations were
active in the region on July 15, eight on July 16, and nine on July 17.
On July 18, however, only four were operating, and only two on July 19.

He also called on Washington to publish the data from a US satellite
that Russian forces tracked over east Ukraine at the time of the crash.
While US officials have said that their satellites detected the heat
signature from the firing of a missile shortly before MH17 crashed, they
have until now refused to publish any satellite data or identify
specifically who they believe launched the missile.

“According to the statements of US representatives, they have satellite
pictures confirming that the [missile] launched toward the Malaysian
plane was carried out by militia. But no one has seen these pictures,”
Kartopolov said.

Kartopolov's presentation is a devastating exposure of the mind-numbing
propaganda campaign of the Western governments and media, where the
claim that is universally accepted that Russia and pro-Russian
separatist groups fighting the Kiev regime in east Ukraine are
responsible for the crash. This grotesquely one-sided presentation,
totally excluding the possibility of foul play by the Kiev regime, is a
fraud aimed at keeping the public in the dark on basic facts surrounding
the crash.

The detailed evidence presented by Russia and Washington's silence
strongly suggests that the data Washington in fact has does not support,
but rather undermines its own propaganda campaign against Russia,
pointing instead to the Kiev regime.

This immediately raises the questions of the responsibility of the
Western imperialist powers, above all of elements of the American state,
in the destruction of MH17. The fascist militias and National Guard
units Kiev has deployed in east Ukraine work closely with CIA operatives
and mercenaries from the US firm formerly known as Blackwater.

Significantly, while Obama has repeatedly spoken on the Ukraine crisis
in order to cynically denounce Russia, he has himself never formally
taken a position on who ordered the shooting down of MH17.

On Friday, for example, Obama stated: “I think it’s too early for us to
be able to guess what intentions those who might have launched the
surface-to-air missile might have had… In terms of identifying
specifically what individual or group of individuals, you know,
personnel ordered the strike, how it came about—those are things that I
think are going to be subject to additional information that we’re going
to be gathering.”

The US president has not made any more specific statement on the issue
of who fired the missile since then. If sections of the US state and its
allies in Ukraine carried out the attack on MH17, it is not certain that
Obama would have been aware of the operation—a fact that might explain
the president’s equivocal and uncertain statements on the matter, even
as he escalates threats against Russia.

(7) MH17: Ukrainian fighter jet 'near' plane before crash; Russian TV
blames CIA

http://www.smh.com.au/world/mh17-ukrainian-fighter-jet-near-plane-before-crash-russian-tv-blames-cia-20140722-zvho8.html

{inset} MH17: Russia's alternative theory Russian officials challenge
the US to publish satellite images "which have never been seen" of
flight MH17 being fired at by a missile, while claiming a Ukrainian
fighter jet was flying close by at the time of the crash. {video at}
http://media.smh.com.au/national/selections/mh17-russias-alternative-theory-5615182.html
{end inset}

Moscow: Russia claims its flight records show a Ukrainian fighter jet
was flying close to the Malaysian passenger plane just before it crashed
and that Kiev was operating radar stations used for missile systems.

Separately, a Russian television program has accused the US Central
Intelligence Agency of being behind the downing of flight MH17.

Moscow also denied supplying Ukrainian separatists with Buk missile
systems or any other weapons, as it sought to head off international
accusations it was responsible for the downing of the plane with 298
people on board.

Armed with slides, charts and images, two high-ranking officials of
Russia’s general staff laid out a case against Ukraine at a specially
called briefing.

Lieutenant-General Andrei Kartopolov said the plane strayed north of its
planned route, adding that a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter jet, which is
typically equipped with air-to-air missiles, had been recorded in the
proximity of the Boeing 777.

The Malaysian plane “deviated from its route to the north ... the
maximum deviation was 14 kilometres,” he said.

“An altitude gain was recorded for a Ukrainian armed forces plane. Its
distance from the Malaysian Boeing was three to five kilometres,” he
added, noting that the SU-25 is capable of reaching a height of 10,000
metres “for a brief time”.

“With what aim was a military plane flying along a civilian aviation
route practically at the same time and at the same flight level as a
passenger liner? We would like to receive an answer to this question.”

He also said the Russian Defence Ministry detected unusual activity from
radar stations that are used to operate missile systems on the day of
the tragedy.

“From July 17 [Thursday] the intensity of the operation of Ukrainian
radar stations increased to the maximum,” General Kartopolov said.

He said seven radar stations were operating close to the area of the
disaster on Tuesday, eight on Wednesday and nine on the day of the
crash, Thursday. After the crash, just four radar stations were
operating in the area on Friday and just two on Saturday, he added,
citing data.

General Kartopolov insisted Russia had not supplied Ukrainian
separatists with Buk missile systems or any other weapons. “I want to
stress that Russia did not give the rebels Buk missile systems or any
other kinds of weapons or military hardware.”

The general's explanation comes as US network NBC reported that a
Russian broadcaster pinned the blame for the downing of Malaysia
Airlines flight MH17 on the CIA.

The report, on Russia's Channel One, claimed the US had planned to do
the same thing during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis - an event that
brought the US and Russia close to nuclear war.

Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March has
sparked the biggest East-West crisis since the Cold War.

AFP, Fairfax

(8) Ukrainian military jet was flying near MH17 when it was shot down:
Russia

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/ukrainian-military-jet-was-flying-near-mh17-when-it-was-shot-down-russia/story-fnizu68q-1226997531113

     * by: STAFF WRITER     * 6 hours ago July 22, 2014 12:48PM

RUSSIA has provided an explosive alternative explanation of how Malaysia
Airlines flight MH17 went down.

Speaking to the media, a high-ranking Russian military official implied
that a Ukrainian fighter jet could be responsible for the disaster, not
pro-Russian separatists.

The US claims its intelligence shows a ground-to-air missile launched
from territory held by pro-Russian rebels brought the plane down on
Thursday.

But Lieutenant-General Andrei Kartopolov said Russian flight records
showed a Ukrainian military jet was flying just a few kilometres away
from the Malaysia Airlines flight at the time it went down, The
Independent reports.

Russia provides a briefing to journalists to provide its explanation of
events surroundin

Russia provides a briefing to journalists to provide its explanation of
events surrounding flight MH17. Picture: AFP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov
Source: AFP

The military aircraft, a SU-25, flew within three to five kilometres of
the Boeing 777, according to Lt-Gen Kartopolov, and he went on to imply
that it shot MH17 down.

He said SU-25s “can briefly climb up to 10,000m (and are) regularly
equipped with air-to-air missiles R-60 that can capture and destroy
targets of a distance up to 12km and up to 5km as guaranteed”.

Lt-Gen Kartopolov said the Russian Defence Ministry wanted to know “why
the military jet was flying along (the same civil aviation lines) at
almost the same time and at the same level as a passenger plane”.

He denied allegations that Russia had provided the pro-Russian
separatists in eastern Ukraine with Buk missile launchers.

He said Russia had evidence that Ukraine had stationed self-propelled,
anti-aircraft Buk missile launchers near the rebel-held territory.

The military officials displayed slides, charts and images to illustrate
their claims at the special air force briefing in Moscow. You can watch
the full press conference here on YouTube.

Russia also called on the US to publish for public scrutiny the
intelligence it had that showed the rebels were behind the attack.

The Ukraine Government, meanwhile, said it had photo and video evidence
of how a Russian anti-aircraft missile system was moved across the
territory controlled by Russian-backed militants.

Two hundred and ninety-eight people perished in when MH17 was brought
down on Thursday.

Russia’s special air force briefing yesterday in Moscow. Picture: AFP
Photo/Dmitry Serebryako Source: AFP

video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSpeo5RcQQo&feature=youtu.be

(9) Russia produces photo of Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet close to MH17
before crash

Russia says has photos of Ukraine deploying BUK Missiles in East, Radar
Proof of Warplanes in MH17 Vicinity

http://www.blacklistednews.com/Russia_Says_Has_Photos_Of_Ukraine_Deploying_BUK_Missiles_In_East,_Radar_Proof_Of_Warplanes_In_MH17_Vicinity/36763/0/38/38/Y/M.html

July 21, 2014

Source: Zero Hedge

Ukraine hasn’t said how it immediately knew rebels downed Malaysian
plane, notes the Russian Foreign Ministry, as it unveils 10 awkward
questions for Ukraine (and perhaps the US 'snap judgment') to answer
about the MH17 disaster. However, what is perhaps more concerning for
the hordes of finger-pointers is that:

     * RUSSIA HAS IMAGES OF UKRAINE DEPLOYING BUK ROCKETS IN EAST: IFX
    * RUSSIA: UKRAINE MOVED BUK NEAR REBELS IN DONETSK JULY 17: IFX
* RUSSIA DETECTED UKRAINIAN FIGHTER JET PICK UP SPEED TOWARD MH17

Obviously, if there is proof that this is so, aside from CIA-created
YouTube clips, these would deal another unpleasant blow to US foreign
policy.

The Russian defense ministry during its press conference which concluded
minutes ago:

Here is the full clip of the Russian ministry releasing its own forensic
analysis of what happened to flight MH17 (with English translation).

Russia wants to know why Ukraine moved its BUK missiles systems the day
of the MH17 crash:

     * RUSSIAN GENERAL STAFF HAS SPACE IMAGES OF SECTORS OF UKRAINIAN
FORCES' POSITIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE, INCLUDING BUK MISSILE LUNCH
SITES 8 KILOMETERS FROM LUHANSK - RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY - interfax

     The day the Malaysian airliner crashed, the Ukrainian forces
deployed an air defense group of three or four Buk-M1 missile batteries
near Donetsk, Lt. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian General
Staff's Main Operations Department, told reporters on Monday.

     "These surface-to-air systems are capable of hitting targets at a
distance of up to 35 kilometers at an altitude of 22 kilometers. For
what purpose and against whom were these missile systems deployed? As is
known, the militia has no aviation," he said.

Russia has the flight paths of the Ukrainian fighters and MH17.
Furthermore, it is asking the same question we asked last Thurday:

     * RUSSIA SAYS MH17 DIVERGED 14 KM FROM FLIGHT PATH NEAR DONETSK

And wants to know why. The image (as seen in the presentation above)
allegedly shows Ukraine fighter jets near MH17:

Here is a screengrab of a Su-25 fighter jet detected close to MH17
before crash.

As RT reports,

     “A Ukraine Air Force military jet was detected gaining height, it’s
distance from the Malaysian Boeing was 3 to 5km,” said the head of the
Main Operations Directorate of the HQ of Russia’s military forces,
Lieutenant-General Andrey Kartopolov speaking at a media conference in
Moscow on Monday.

     “[We] would like to get an explanation as to why the military jet
was flying along a civil aviation corridor at almost the same time and
at the same level as a passenger plane,” he stated.

     “The SU-25 fighter jet can gain an altitude of 10km, according to
its specification,” he added. “It’s equipped with air-to-air R-60
missiles that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for
sure.”

     The presence of the Ukrainian military jet can be confirmed by
video shots made by the Rostov monitoring center, Kartopolov stated.

And asks for US proof of their accusations:

     * RUSSIA SAYS U.S. SATELLITE FLEW OVER MH17 AT TIME IT WAS
DOWNED... which would provide all the proof needed to show who is
responsible  - so why hasn't the US explained this or shown it?     *
RUSSIA ASKS U.S. FOR EVIDENCE ROCKET FIRED FROM REBEL-HELD AREA     *
RUSSIA: NO U.S. PROOF THAT MISSILE FIRED FROM REBEL-HELD AREA     *
DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS RUSSIA DID NOT DELIVER ANY SA-11 BUK MISSILE
SYSTEMS TO SEPARATISTS IN EASTERN UKRAINE "OR ANY OTHER WEAPONS" ...

(10) Russia asks US for satellite images to support its claim that
Rebels downed MH17

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/21/ukraine-crisis-russia-ministry-idUSL6N0PW3LH20140721

UPDATE 2-Russia challenges accusations that Ukraine rebels shot down
airliner

Mon Jul 21, 2014 12:05pm EDT

By Maria Tsvetkova

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry on Monday
challenged accusations pro-Russian rebels were to blame for shooting
down a Malaysian airliner and asked the United States to produce
satellite images to support its assertions.

At a briefing in which generals used flashing radar images on big
screens in a state-of-the-art conference room, the ministry said a
Ukrainian fighter jet had tracked the airliner despite Kiev's assertions
that no aircraft were nearby.

The ministry also denied supplying the separatists in east Ukraine with
SA-11 Buk anti-aircraft missile systems, known as "Gadfly" in NATO, or
"any other weapons".

The hi-tech presentation appeared a direct response to video and audio
recordings used by Ukrainian security officials to back up their
accusations of Russian and rebel involvement - recordings the ministry's
comments suggested were fabricated.

"Russian air space control systems detected a Ukrainian Air Force plane,
presumably an SU-25 (fighter jet), scrambling in the direction of the
Malaysian Boeing ... The distance of the SU-25 plane from the Boeing was
from 3 to 5 kilometres (2 to 3 miles)," Air Force Lieutenant-General
Igor Makushev said.

"Earlier, Ukrainian officials said that on the day of the Boeing 777
crash there were no military aircraft in the region - as you can see
this does not appear to be true."

Another officer, Lieutenant-General Andrei Kartopolov, said that,
"whether it is a coincidence or not", a U.S. satellite had been
monitoring the area at the time.

"We also have some questions for our U.S. partners," he said. "According
to the U.S. declarations, they have satellite images that confirm the
missile was launched by the rebels. But nobody has seen these images."

"If the American side has pictures from this satellite, then they should
show the international community."

PROPAGANDA WAR

Russia and Ukraine have been waging a fierce propaganda war over the
crisis in eastern Ukraine, where the rebels rose up in April against
Kiev's rule.

In an echo of the U.S. State Department's use of lists to debunk what it
calls "misinformation" in the Ukraine crisis, Russia issued its own list
on Monday of 10 leading questions it wanted Kiev to answer about the
downed passenger jet.

President Vladimir Putin has pointed the finger at his Ukrainian
counterpart Petro Poroshenko, saying the disaster would not have
happened if Kiev had not ended a ceasefire with the separatists.

Putin, looking drawn, made brief televised comments on the crisis that
signalled a new determination to get Russia's version of events across,
although they were first released in the middle of the night.

He said the downing of the airliner, killing all 298 people on board,
must not be used for political ends, but did not respond directly to the
accusations of Russian involvement by supplying arms to the rebels.

Monday's military briefing was the first detailed comment by Russia -
which has radar stations and military bases near the border with Ukraine
- since the passenger plane came down on Thursday in territory
controlled by the rebels.

At the presentation, the officers said the Malaysian airliner was one of
three civilian aircraft in the skies over eastern Ukraine at the time.

Kiev later said it stood by its accusations.

"There is evidence that the missile which struck the plane was fired by
terrorists, who received arms and specialists from the Russian
Federation," said Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's Security
Council. (Acdditional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin,; Writing by
Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Will Waterman)