Courtesy of Mish.
People seem to have their minds made up on whether or not the plane was shot down and by whom.
The propaganda du jour is the separatists were responsible. By even discussing alternatives, ridiculous accusations have come in about “Mish” being a Russian name.
The first casualty in war is always the truth. Statements from both sides are suspect.
Here is another update from reader Jacob Dreizin, a US citizen who speaks Russian and reads Ukrainian, regarding whether or not the rebels had a Buk system.
Hi Mish,
I told you the rebels have never claimed a high-altitude air defense capability, and despite that “tweet” (which I believe is genuine), I stand by what I said: The rebels do not have a working Buk system.
Late last month, the Donetsk rebels took over a small military base that housed at least one “Buk” system. Immediately, Kiev announced that the captured equipment was not in working order. And that was the end of it.
The rebels never claimed to have deployed the system. In fact, they have stated many times that they have a modest air defense ceiling, and that Ukrainian planes have been trying to make their attacks from above that ceiling (not always successfully.) And the rebels have never claimed a high-altitude capability.
My guess still remains that the Ukrainians (unwittingly) repeated their Siberian Airlines stunt from 2001.
Questions Du Jour
- Is Anyone Telling The Truth?
- Were both Ukraine and the Rebels lying about Rebel possession of a working Buk system?
Missile Claims Deepen Escalation Fears
Please consider Missile Claims Deepen Escalation Fears
Little is yet known about who targeted Malaysian airlines jet MH17. But the destruction of an airliner at high altitude by a missile strike, as Kiev suggests, shows the conflict in eastern Ukraine has reached a new level in terms of military hardware and tactics….
