“The Bodies Weren't Fresh”

We know what brought down the Malaysia Air Boeing 777, Flight 17, over the Ukraine on July 17^th: a missile, one capable of reaching well over 30 thousand feet into the passenger airspace allocated to commercial carriers. Not exactly a small shoulder-fired projectile, one that requires targeting radar and a larger launching platform… One that would have to have originated from a country with the ability to manufacture such weapons. Maybe intentional but more likely accidental… loosed by a military commander on the ground too quick to pull the trigger, thinking the jet was a Ukrainian military transport. Evidence supports all of the above “speculation.”

We have tracking satellites above this combat zone, and they record all sorts of interesting stuff from high above the battlefield. “U.S. intelligence authorities said a surface-to-air missile brought down the plane, and U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told the U.N. Security Council in New York on [July 18^th] that the missile was likely fired from a rebel-held area near the Russian border.” AOL.com, July 18^th. “Likely” became pretty definite as the evidence was reviewed. OK, but we need to examine the debris on the ground, establish the precise missile that did the dirty deed, and it is going to have to be found by an unbiased international body to create the level of credibility necessary to assign blame. We need to be sure.

But just out of curiosity, is someone in a position of power on one side or another – either from Ukraine or the pro-Russian rebels – acting in a manner that suggests guilt? Is anyone laying the groundwork to deny what they know is going to be found sooner or later? “A top pro-Russia rebel commander in eastern Ukraine has given a bizarre version of events surrounding the Malaysian jetliner crash - suggesting many of the victims may have died days before the plane took off.

“The pro-rebel website Russkaya Vesna on [July 18^th] quoted Igor Girkin as saying he was told by people at the crash site that ‘a significant number of the bodies weren't fresh,’ adding that he was told they were drained of blood and reeked of decomposition… Girkin, also known as Strelkov and allegedly a former Russian military intelligence agent, said he couldn't confirm the information. But it's sure to add to the intense emotions surrounding the crash, with the rebels accused of shooting down the plane.” AOL.com.

It’s no secret that Russian combatants, lots of them, are operating in rebel-controlled parts of eastern Ukraine. It’s even less of a secret that Russian arms, from light to heavy, have flowed across the border in support of the rebels… with a “wink wink” from the Putin administration filled with denial. The downing occurred just days after the United States increased financial and travel sanctions on Russia based on their interference in Ukraine. On July 18^th, “[U.S. President Barack] Mr. Obama resisted blaming the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, personally, saying that the American government does not know exactly who fired the missile that took down the passenger airliner. But he made clear that he held the Russians responsible for failing to stop the violence that made the downing possible.

“‘We know that they are heavily armed and they are trained,’ Mr. Obama said. ‘That is not an accident. That is happening because of Russian support.’ He said it was ‘not possible for these separatists to be functioning the way they are’ without Russian support… The president said that the downing of the plane was a direct result of the violence in the region, and that violence had been ‘facilitated in large part because of Russian support.’” New York Times, July 18^th. But the mounting evidence was getting hard to ignore. “At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. pointed blame at the separatists, saying Washington believes the jetliner carrying 298 people, including 80 children, likely was downed by an SA-11 missile, and ‘we cannot rule out technical assistance from Russian personnel.’…

“[U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha] Power said that early [on the 18^th], a journalist saw an SA-11 system - known in Russia as a Buk missile system - in separatist-controlled territory near Snizhne, ‘and separatists were spotted hours before the incident with an SA-11 SAM system close to the site where the plane came down…. [adding that] Separatists initially claimed responsibility for shooting down a military transport plane, and claimed responsibility and posted videos that are now being connected to the Malaysian Airlines crash… Separatist leaders also boasted on social media about shooting down a plane, but later deleted these messages.’

“‘Because of the technical complexity of the SA-11, it is unlikely that the separatists could effectively operate the system without assistance from knowledgeable personnel. Thus, we cannot rule out technical assistance from Russian personnel in operating the systems,’ she said…Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin did not respond to the U.S. allegations.” AOL.com, July 19^th.

It would seem obvious that guilty parties might also attempt to thwart the investigation. Did that happen? “About 30 officials, mostly from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, arrived at the crash site between the villages of Rozsypne and Hrabove, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border… The rebels allowed the team to perform a very partial and superficial inspection. While the delegation was leaving under orders from the armed overseers, two Ukrainian members lingered to look at a fragment of the plane by a roadside, only for a militiaman to fire a warning shot in the air with his Kalashnikov.” AOL.com.

Well-armed pro-Russian rebels controlled and limited access to the crash site as international investigators entered the area. Bodies were left to decay in the hot sun, but evidence of tampering with the wreckage was also evident. The disrespect shown to the deceased was stunning. “‘The news we got today of the bodies being dragged around, of the site not being treated properly, has really created a shock in the Netherlands,’ Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans told the Ukrainian president in Kiev. ‘People are angry, are furious at what they hear.’ Timmermans demanded the culprits be found. ‘Once we have the proof, we will not stop until the people are brought to justice,’ he said.” AP, July 19^th. If you were a juror hearing the case, how would these events impact your decision as to the likely culprits?

Evidence piles up, and a litany of world leaders have demanded free and open access to the crash site and other relevant venues to establish clear blame. Noting that Russia sits on the U.N. Security Council, they were put in the uneasy situation of joining in a unanimous Security Council vote asking for a “a full, thorough and independent international investigation, in accordance with international civil aviation guidelines, and for appropriate accountability… [also demanding] immediate access by investigators to the crash site to determine the cause of the incident."

“[U.S. President Barack] Obama also called for such an investigation, adding: ‘The eyes of the world are on eastern Ukraine, and we are going to make sure that the truth is out.’… On [July 19^th], Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott echoed calls for an international investigation. ‘Australia takes a very dim view of countries which facilitate the killing of Australians,’ he said.

“Obama called for a cease-fire in the conflict between the separatists and Ukrainian forces. At a Kremlin meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged that ‘all sides in the conflict should halt their fighting and enter into peaceful talks,’ according to an official website… On [July 17^th], Putin blamed Ukraine for the crash, saying Kiev was responsible for the unrest in its Russian-speaking eastern regions. But he didn't accuse Ukraine of shooting the plane down and didn't address the key question of whether Russia gave the rebels such a powerful missile.” AOL.com. Award moments for the Russian bear!

Nope, we don’t know for sure who or why. But as the facts roll in, it’s easy to make a reasonably-educated guess. Let the experts determine for sure, but if indeed this incident came from a Russian-supplied missile to under-prepared pro-Russian rebels, Mr. Putin is going to have a lot of explaining to do… and if the evidence is overwhelming, we can expect more than a few fabrications like the one from Igor Girkin noted above.

I’m Peter Dekom, and if this incident helps stabilize and end a violent civil war as well as plunge a mendacious tyrant’s credibility through the floor, it might provide some small consolation to those who lost loved ones in this debacle.