726 MH17: US media censor eyewitness report that Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air missiles, returned without them

MH17: US media censor eyewitness report that Ukrainian warplane took off
with air-to-air missiles, returned without them

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Newsletter published on 25 December 2014

(1) US media censor eyewitness report that Ukraine shot MH17 down
(2) New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports it
(3) "mh17" not found at Straits Times (Singapore) news
http://www.straitstimes.com/
(4) Guardian report: Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air
missiles, returned without them
(5) Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports it (6) BBC Reports it
(7) Huffington Post UK reports it (whilst saying report is fake) but
Huffington Post US has NOTHING
(8) Zero Hedge blog (in US) reports it - but nothing in  MSM
(9)  Kyiv Post reports it, linking to Deutsche Welle
(10) RT.com says witness passed Lie Detector test

(1) US media censor eyewitness report that Ukraine shot MH17 down - by
Peter Myers, December 25, 2014. Yes, I'm at work even on Xmas Day.

You can verify the US Media censorship of this report by doing Google
searches as indicated below.
Please do it immediately.

You can search Google News in two ways: by starting out with a WEB
search then clicking the NEWS button.
Or by searching a particular edition of Google News - you can choose
which country - at
  https://news.google.com/

Let's do the second first. When I choose the Australian edition, and
enter "mh17" as the search term, I get various hits from Australian and
overseas news outlets.
When I choose the U.S. Edition, I get hits from news agencies OUTSIDE
the US, but not from US agencies

Now let's search Google News the other way, by starting with a WEB search.

In Google (WEB), search for
mh17 without quotes
"mh17" in double quotes. Note the difference in the number of hits. You
want FEWER hits - that means you're closing in on the needle in the
haystack. So use double quotes around words and phrases.

Now go back to your search and click NEWS instead of WEB
And click PAST 24 HOURS (that's why you need to do this a.s.a.p.)
Search for "mh17". Note the hits from media in many countries but not
the US "mainstream media". If I'm wrong, LET ME KNOW.

Now narrow down the results, buy adding an extra term to your search string:
"mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" - Dnipropetrovsk being the name of the air base
from which the Ukrainian plane took off. It should occur in all relevant
reports.

Check the hits once again.

If you want to narrow down the search still further, add the name of the
alleged pilot:
"mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" "Voloshin"

Write down the number of hits, the time you did the Search, and the
search string etc.

I got 231 hits for "mh17" "Dnipropetrovsk" at 12.20pm Thur Dec 25 (=
8.20pm Dec 24 in Chicago =  2.20am Dec 25 in London).

The hits are from news agencies of many countries all around the wiorld
- but none from the US (that I can find).

Prove me wrong - let me know the US media have reported it.

(2) New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports it, but "mh17" not found at
Straits Times (Singapore)

http://www.nst.com.my/node/65732

New Straits Times (Malaysia)

Russia says Ukrainian pilot behind MH17 crash

24 DECEMBER 2014 @ 10:40 PM

MOSCOW: Russian investigators today said they had new proof from a
witness that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the
Malaysia Airlines crash which killed 298 people.

The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

An Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the man “is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing-777.”

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the Boeing.

The statement by investigators comes the same day that Kiev and the
separatists are to hold a new round of ceasefire talks, and shortly
after Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with
the “secret witness” who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.

The man, who was filmed by the paper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.

“(The plane’s operator) could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge,” the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
Voloshin. “Maybe he mistook it for another plane.”

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checks out, but did not identify him
because his family is still in Ukraine.

Investigative Committee said that the man - who is now officially a
witness - may be enrolled in a witness protection program.

There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official probe into the crash, in which citizens from 11 countries
died, but no Russians.

Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing exactly what
brought down the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as
part of their probe. Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane
broke apart due to damage that came from outside. --AFP

(3) "mh17" not found at Straits Times (Singapore) news
http://www.straitstimes.com/

(4) Guardian report: Ukrainian warplane took off with air-to-air
missiles, returned without them

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/25/mh17-russia-claims-to-have-airfield-witness-who-blames-ukrainian-pilot

MH17: Russia claims to have airfield witness who blames Ukrainian pilot

Russian investigators announce anonymous testimony of Ukrainian warplane
taking off with air-to-air missiles and returning without them on 17 July

Agence France Press

Thursday 25 December 2014 13.24 AEST

Russian investigators announced on Wednesday that they had new proof
from a witness that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the
Malaysia Airlines crash which killed 298 people.

The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on 17 July with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

An investigative committee statement said the testimony of the man “is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing 777.”

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the west accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the Boeing.

The statement by investigators came on a day Kiev and the separatists
were due to hold a new round of ceasefire talks.

They concluded the “difficult” marathon talks on later on Wednesday
without agreeing the date of a new round aimed at ending the pro-Russian
uprising devastating the ex-Soviet state’s industrial east.

The five-hour preliminary discussion in the Belarussian capital Minsk
had been tentatively due to be followed by a second meeting on Friday at
which a final accord was to be signed.

But separatist representatives stressed that they could not yet promise
whether the negotiations would resume as planned.

“We had a difficult preliminary meeting,” Donetsk separatist region
mediator Denis Pushilin told a pro-separatist news site. “The date and
time of the next meeting is still up in the air. It is under discussion.”

Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with the
MH17 “secret witness” who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.

The man, who was filmed by the paper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.

“[The plane’s operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge,” the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
Voloshin. “Maybe he mistook it for another plane.”

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checked out, but did not identify him
because his family was still in Ukraine.

The investigative committee said that the man – who is now officially a
witness – may be enrolled in a witness protection program.

There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official inquiry into the crash, which killed citizens from 11
countries, but no Russians.

Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing exactly what
brought down the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as
part of their inquiry. Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane
broke apart due to damage that came from outside.

(5) Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports it

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-24/russia-claims-new-proof-ukraine-involved-in-downing-of-mh17/5988140

MH17: Russian investigators claim proof from witness that Ukrainian
pilot involved in downing of flight

Thu 25 Dec 2014, 5:44am

Russian investigators say they have new proof from a witness that a
Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the Malaysia Airlines
crash which killed 298 people, including 38 Australians.

The witness, who was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian
city of Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off
on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

An Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the man "is
important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of
the Boeing-777".

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over territory
in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who have been
fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the West accused Russia of supplying the rebels with a
surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several opposing
theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet allegedly seen
next to the passenger jet.

The witness was filmed by Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda with his
back to the camera and even the back of his head blurred.

He said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off armed with air-to-air rockets
and return to the base without them.

"[The plane's operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge," the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
having the surname Voloshin.

"Maybe he mistook it for another plane."

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office and
that his identity checked out but did not identify him because his
family was still in Ukraine.

The Investigative Committee said the man could be enrolled in a witness
protection program.

There was no evidence previously that Russian investigators had launched
an official probe into the crash, in which citizens from 11 countries
died, but no Russians.

Dutch authorities have been charged with establishing what brought down
the plane and are reconstructing part of the aircraft as part of their
probe.

Preliminary findings indicate only that the plane broke apart due to
damage that came from outside.

http://www.dw.de/russia-reveals-witness-blaming-ukraine-pilot-for-mh17-crash/a-18150656

Russia reveals 'witness' blaming Ukraine pilot for MH17 crash

Russian investigators claim they have new proof from a witness, which
shows that a Ukrainian pilot fired a missile on the day of the Malaysia
Airlines MH17 crash. 298 people died in July's disaster. MH17

The "secret witness" worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk, where he claims to have seen a Sukhoi-25 jet warplane
take off on July 17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them.

"[The pilot] could have launched them into the Boeing out of fear or
revenge," the witness said. "Maybe he mistook it for another plane."

The Russian Investigative Committee statement said the testimony of the
man "is important proof that Ukrainian military was implicated in the
crash of the Boeing-777."

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over
territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who
have been fighting Kyiv forces since Russia annexed Crimea in March.

Ukraine and the West continue to accuse Russia of supplying the rebels
with a surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has issued several
counter-theories, one of which involves a Ukrainian military jet
allegedly seen next to the Boeing.

(6) BBC Reports it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30597555

24 December 2014 Last updated at 14:35

MH17: Russia reveals 'witness' who blames Ukraine pilot

Russian investigators say a Ukrainian serviceman has provided evidence
that a Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed in July may have been shot
down by a Ukrainian air force pilot.

A "secret witness" told a Russian newspaper this week that an Su-25
fighter pilot had fired his air-to-air missiles at the wrong aircraft.

Ukraine has rejected the claim as fake.

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam was downed over eastern Ukraine on 17 July
with the loss of all 298 people on board.

Suspicion immediately focused on a Russian-made Buk missile launcher
seen in territory controlled by pro-Russian rebels at the time.

The head of the Dutch-led criminal inquiry, Fred Westerbeke, told Dutch
broadcaster NOS on Saturday there were "very many indications" that the
plane had been brought down by a missile filed from a Buk rocket
launcher. Wreckage arrives at Gilze-Rijen airbase (9 Dec) Wreckage from
the plane has been taken to Gilze-Rijen airbase in the Netherlands to be
analysed

However, all options were being kept open and the possibility of the
plane being shot down from the air was being considered, he said.

Russia's authorities have already suggested that a Ukrainian fighter jet
brought the plane down, however when state TV broadcast a picture of the
moment it said an air-to-air missile had been fired, it was widely
dismissed as a fake.

The latest Russian evidence came to light after a man contacted
Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, saying he had been at Aviatorske airport
near the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk when flight MH17 was shot down.

In an interview in Russian with his back to the camera, the man, whose
head was blurred and his voice digitally altered, said that an Su-25
plane that had taken off armed with air-to-air missiles before MH17 had
been shot down had returned without its weaponry.

He named the pilot as Capt Voloshyn and said the man was very scared. He
quoted the pilot as saying "the aircraft was in the wrong place at the
wrong time".

His comments were widely reported on Tuesday on Russian state TV and
Russia's Investigations Committee announced immediately that it would
look into the interview. satellite image Russian TV broadcast a photo
last month claiming to show MH17 under attack - it was widely discredited

A committee spokesman, Vladimir Markin, told reporters on Wednesday that
investigators had met the man and he had passed a polygraph test.

"The witness's evidence is not the only [evidence] but [it is] very
important evidence that the Ukrainian armed forces were involved in the
Boeing crash," Interfax news agency quoted Mr Markin as saying. The man
could now be given witness protection as he may be in danger, he added.

Ukraine's SBU security service refused to comment on the statement
because it said the information was false, Interfax Ukraine reported.

The Dutch Safety Board, leading an international inquiry into the cause
of the disaster, has so far only issued a preliminary report stating
that the aircraft was penetrated by "high-energy objects".

A spokeswoman told BBC News that the inquiry had received a lot of
information and Russia was part of the investigation team. "We'll look
at [the evidence] very seriously and if it's relevant we'll use it in
this investigation."

Wreckage from the crashed Boeing 777 plane has been transported to the
Netherlands for reconstruction as part of the inquiry.

The safety board aims to complete its work by mid-2015.

(7) Huffington Post UK reports it (whilst saying report is fake) but
Huffington Post US has NOTHING

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/24/mh17-ukraine-russias-secret-witness_n_6378164.html

Russia has claimed a "secret witness" can prove Malaysia Airlines flight
MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian jet.

Investigators insist a Ukrainian serviceman saw a Su-25 combat jet take
off from an airbase in the east of the country and return with no
missiles on the day the passenger jet was shot down.

The pilot emerged from his fighter jet looking very frightened,
according to the eyewitness.

Pro-Kremlin RT reports the claims had been backed up by lie detector
tests carried out by Russia’s Investigative Committee.

MH17 was blown out of the sky on 17 July. The widely accepted version of
events is that a rocket from a

Russian-made Buk missile launcher operated by pro-Russian rebels was
responsible.

The dubious assertion is the latest attempt to divert blame away from
Moscow.

(8) Zero Hedge blog (in US) reports it - but nothing in  MSM

Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 01:37:16 +0900 Subject: Russia Says It Has
Evidence From Ukraine Military Defector Kiev Was Responsible For MH-17
Crash | Zero Hedge From: chris lancenet <chrislancenet@gmail.com>

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-24/russia-says-it-has-evidence-ukraine-military-defector-kiev-was-responsible-mh-17-cra

Russia Says It Has Evidence From Ukraine Military Defector Kiev Was
Responsible For MH-17 Crash

  Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/24/2014 11:38 -0500

Back in July it was all everyone could talk about:who shot down
Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 flying over east Ukraine? A
hurriedly-prepared official report (by Western authorities) quickly put
the blame on Russia, ignoring any suggestion the downing may have been
the result of a Ukraine fighter jet, and said the catastrophe was the
result of a Russian-made missile shot by Russian separatists. Then the
story promptly disappeared. Russia, however, continued digging, and
overnight, Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has uncovered
evidence Ukraine was involved in the crash citing a military defector
from the Ukraine.

The RIC said, as summarized by Bloomberg, that it interrogated a Ukraine
military defector who has evidence the Boeing jet shot down in July may
have been targeted by Ukrainian military SU-25 plane, according to
website statement. The witness claims to have spoken to SU-25’s pilot,
according to whom the SU-25 in question was carrying R-60 air-to-air
missiles.  The SU-25 returned to base after flight without its missiles.
  The pilot summarized that "MH-17 was in wrong place at wrong time."
Tell that to the families of over two hundred innocent casualties of war.

The Committee statement adds that Russia may provide witness state
protection and that  Russian investigators ready to share data with
international crash investigators.

Some further details in AFP's coverage of the topic: "The witness, who
was not named, worked at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of
Dnipropetrovsk where he claimed to have seen a warplane take off on July
17 with air-to-air missiles and return without them. An Investigative
Committee statement said the testimony of the man "is important proof
that Ukrainian military was implicated in the crash of the Boeing-777".

The statement by investigators came the same day that Kiev and the
separatists were to hold a new round of ceasefire talks, and shortly
after Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an interview with
the "secret witness" who said he worked at the airport on the day the
Boeing 777 was downed.

The man, who was filmed by the newspaper with his back to the camera and
even the back of his head blurred, said he saw a Sukhoi-25 jet take off
armed with air-to-air rockets and return to the base without them.

"[The plane's operator] could have launched them into the Boeing out of
fear or revenge," the witness said, identifying the pilot of the jet as
having the surname Voloshin. "Maybe he mistook it for another plane."

Komsomolskaya Pravda claimed the witness showed up at its office by
himself and that his identity checks out, but did not identify him
because his family is still in Ukraine.

The investigative committee said the man — who was now officially a
witness — could be enrolled in a witness protection program.

Here is the full statement from the Investigative Committee, google
translated:

Investigators last night they were able to meet with the Ukrainian
military defector, who confirms that voluntarily left the military unit
and moved into the territory of the Russian Federation.

He told investigators about the last days of service in one of the units
of the Air Force of Ukraine. From the way he behaved, what facts the
voice, the investigators did not have doubts in sincerity and awareness
of the witness of the events that took place in the military unit.

 From the testimony of the witness now, that in order to ensure its
safety aliased, civil aircraft "Boeing 777" Flight MH-17 could be
brought down by July 17 of this year, combat aircraft SU-25 Ukrainian
Air Force, piloted by Captain Ukrainian Air Force pilot Voloshin. In
this case, sortie was carried from the airport, stationed near the city
of Dnipropetrovsk. it is at this airfield served as a witness. According
to his testimony, he personally saw the plane before takeoff Voloshin
was fused rockets "air-to-air" type R-60, which in normal conditions the
implementation of sorties Su-25 do not fit. As the witness said, in a
similar outfit aircraft simply was not necessary, as the representatives
of the people's militia armed with no aviation.

The witness immediately noticed that on his return to the airfield
aircraft missiles in the equipment of the aircraft has no, and then he
distinctly heard the words of the pilot Voloshin, said one of his
colleagues: "He - the plane - was not at the time and in the wrong place."

Those facts and information, which are located and which are clearly not
being confused, the witness said, convince investigators that his
testimony true, by the way, and confirmed research on polygraph. For the
investigation of these readings are very important, and most
importantly, that they coincide with the data that were available for
investigators from other sources and confirm the fact of being in the
air Ukrainian Su-25 during the crash "Boeing." In particular, from the
testimony of several witnesses - Ukrainian citizens living in the area
of impact "Boeing 777", it follows that shortly before the crash they
saw in the sky in the vicinity of the passenger liner military aircraft.

Thus, the testimony of a witness are not the only one, but a very
important proof that a collapse of the "Boeing" Ukrainian armed forces
are involved.

As a witness may be in danger, the investigation decides whether to
grant him state protection for the witness protection program.

Investigation Committee will be to continue to collect and analyze all
the data about the crash. In this case, if the representatives of the
international commission investigating the crash that actually
interested in establishing the truth and turn to us, we are ready to
provide all available materials.

The full interview that took place on Komsomolskaya Pravda with the
alleged defector, along with supporting materials, can be found here.
Sadly in the end this is just more verbal allegations and more "he said,
she said" accusations, in what will almost surely remain an unresolved
crash in which over 200 innocent people were the now deceased pawns in a
lethal realpolitik game in which the cost of a human life is nothing.

(9)  Kyiv Post reports it, linking to Deutsche Welle

The Kyiv Post reports it:
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine-abroad/deutsche-welle-russia-reveals-witness-blaming-ukraine-pilot-for-mh17-crash-376054.html

linking to Deutsche Welle:
http://www.dw.de/russia-reveals-witness-blaming-ukraine-pilot-for-mh17-crash/a-18150656

There are other articles about it in the Kyiv Post too - the Ukrainian
denial etc, asd you would expect.

(10) RT.com says witness passed Lie Detector test

http://rt.com/news/217295-mh17-ukraine-military-plane/

Witness account of Ukraine MH17 takedown confirmed by lie detector -
investigators

Published time: December 24, 2014 09:21 Edited time: December 24, 2014 16:08

Russia's Investigative Committee has confirmed the claims by a
Ukrainian, who said he witnessed the deployment of a Ukrainian warplane
armed with air-to-air missiles on the day the Malaysian Airlines flight
MH17 was shot down.

The interview was conducted on Tuesday, spokesman for the committee
Vladimir Markin told the media on Wednesday.

This followed a report in a Russian newspaper, in which the Ukrainian
citizen, who preferred to remain anonymous, voiced his allegations.

The investigators used a polygraph during the interview, which showed no
evidence of the witness lying, he added.

"The facts were reported by the witness clearly and with no
inconsistencies. The investigators lean towards considering them
truthful. A polygraph examination confirmed them too," the official said.

"According to his account, he personally saw the plane piloted by
[Ukrainian military pilot] Voloshin armed with R-60 air-to-air
missiles," Markin said. "He added there was no need for such weapons
during regular air missions of the Ukrainian Air Forces because the
rebel forces had no military aircraft."

Markin said that the Investigative Committee will continue gathering and
analyzing evidence perpetrating to the downing of MH17 and will share
the information with the Netherlands-led international probe into the
incident, "if they really interested in establishing the truth and send
an inquiry."

The witness is likely to be taken into protective custody in Russia
because his life may be threatened, Markin said.

The Ukrainian Security Service confirmed on Wednesday that a Captain
Voloshin does serve as a military pilot in the country's armed services.
But it said he didn't fly any missions on the day the Malaysian Airlines
flight was shot down.

The Russian Investigative Committee invited the Dutch or Malaysian
experts to check Voloshin using a polygraph, and Ukraine's Security
Service to provide the military log to the official investigation,
Markin said.

"The fact that Ukraine's Security Service has acknowledged Voloshin's
existence is already an accomplishment," he said.

Markin suggested the air traffic controllers operating in the area on
the day of the catastrophe should also be questioned, adding that they
should be "found" first.

"It is clear that all this is very difficult, and probably impossible.
It is much easier to call the information and evidence provided by
Russia's Investigative Committee 'fake'," he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry made public radar data indicating that a
Ukrainian military jet capable of taking down the airliner with an
air-to-air missile was in the vicinity of MH17 at the time of the incident.