Five things to consider about the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 in Ukraine
By Mark Ames
Pando.com
July 17, 2014
I’m too busy now on another story to get deep into the downing of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet over separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine, killing some 300 passengers… but here are a few things to keep in mind as today’s news develops:
1. This was a passenger plane flying over rebel territory despite the fact it was well known that pro-Russian rebels had fairly advanced anti-aircraft weaponry, and were using them with increasing success. Alec Luhn, one of the best reporters on the ground covering the conflict, tweeted out that Ukraine authorities allowed flights over the war zone if they were traveling above 7,800 meters; flight MH17 was reportedly shot down at 10,000 meters.
2. In just the past week, rebel antiaircraft missiles have struck at least three Ukrainian air force planes in the region — two Sukhoi-25 fighters, and an An-26 military transport plane. You can watch the video of the shooting down of the An-26 here, produced by cheering Russian-speaking villagers:
The Rest…HERE
