Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border - live

[Peter Lemkin]

Everyone involved has some damning evidence against them....for example this which came from a standard Russian news source....[but was denied by the Ukrainians!] I wouldn't trust any of the many sides on this...this need INDEPENDENT investigation. Now, as well, there are reports that the separatists are removing some evidence and some bodies - and reports they AGAIN sent the OSCE inspectors packing today - and told them there were some areas of crash they couldn't inspect! [yesterday they allowed 75 min; today a few hours]. Reports are just reports.....but there is too much finger pointing, spun information, and only a little hard evidence on any of this.......[tons of fog of war!]

NB [addendum] The OSCE chief inspector just gave a very very brief news conference. They are NOT there to investigate the crash at all - only to report back on the status of the crash site, security situation, size of crash site and to observe what is happening there. They will report back and then [maybe] a crash investigation team will be sent..... Also, what looks like first-responders [not troops nor irregular troops] are putting bodies in body bags and moving them...somewhere. This is not according to protocol, but perhaps <somewhat> understandable in the power/control vacuum - as the bodies are rotting and being eaten by animals, at this point, in the summer heat. This will NOT be a picture-perfect investigation, under the best of circumstances.

SEPARATISTS MAY HAVE CAPTURED MORE THAN 100 MISSILES



by JAMES DELINGPOLE 18 Jul 2014

The situation in Ukraine may be even more dangerous and unstable than we feared. According to this report from the Russian media, the separatists widely blamed for shooting down Malaysia Airlines MH17 are in control not just of one Buk missile launcher but a whole regiment of them.

The self-defense forces of Donetsk People's Republic seized control of a Ukrainian anti-air military installation, RIA Novosti reports.
"The forces of Donetsk People's Republic assumed control of A-1402 military base," the militia's representative said. According to him, it is an anti-aircraft missile forces facility equipped with Buk mobile surface-to-air missile systems.
During the last several days the militia took control of two internal security troops' installations in eastern Ukraine.

This report, from the end of last month, has had little play in the Western media, which has preferred to focus on reports from security sources that the rocket launchers (and tanks and APCs) used by the separatists were supplied by the Putin regime.
But if it is correct, then it would seem that the Russian separatists had by the end of June already captured more than enough missiles to wreak havoc. According to defence analystRichard North, we can assume that the anti-air installation comprised at least three batteries, each with four mobile launchers carrying four missiles, which means a minimum of 48 missiles even before allowing for replenishments that could bring the total stock to more than 100.