Announcement

**Gert van der Hoek** · July 17, 2014, 10:47 AM

Re: Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

video

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 'Shot Down In Ukraine Near Russian Border'

Malaysia Airlines passenger jet is reported to have been shot down in Ukraine near the Russian border.

Unconfirmed reports from Interfax news agency say the Boeing 777 was shot down at altitude.

Sources say 280 passengers and 15 crew members were onboard the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

It was reportedly at 32,000ft when it was shot down but it is unconfirmed whether the aircraft was in Russian or Ukrainian airspace.

More follows...

BREAKING: Malaysia Airlines Passenger Jet MH17 'Shot Down In Ukraine Near Russian Border'

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/07/17/malaysia-airlines-mh17-passenger-jet-crashes-ukraine-near-russian-border_n_5595450.html?1405610947

BREAKING: Malaysia Airlines Passenger Jet MH17 'Shot Down In Ukraine Near Russian Border'

**sharon sanders** · July 17, 2014, 10:54 AM

Re: Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

from yesterday....

Russian jets shoot down Ukrainian warplane over Ukraine: Kiev military
BY RICHARD BALMFORTH
KIEV Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:07am EDT

(Reuters) - Russian jets shot down a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter plane that was on military operations over the east of Ukraine, where government forces are fighting to quell a pro-Russian separatist rebellion, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

snip

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry said the plane was brought down on Wednesday night near Amvrosiyivka, about 15 km (about 9 milles) from the border with Russia, by rockets which hit it in the tail as it wheeled away from the border.

more...

reuters.com

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/17/us-ukraine-crisis-jet-idUSKBN0FM12C20140717

-------------------------------------

from Monday...

Ukrainian military transport plane shot down
Kiev blames Moscow for downing of Antonov-26, shot down near Russian border, as all passengers manage to escape safely.
Last updated: 15 Jul 2014 00:40

more...

Ukrainian military transport plane shot down

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/07/ukrainian-military-transport-plane-shot-down-201471423420802306.html

Kiev blames Moscow for downing of Antonov-26, shot down near Russian border, as all passengers manage to escape safely.

**Pathfinder** · July 17, 2014, 11:16 AM

Re: Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Translation Google

The Government, a commission to investigate the disaster Malaysian Boeing 777 in the Donetsk region

17.07.2014 | 18:56

Department of Information and Communication of the Secretariat of the CMU
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" closure_uid_843046720="136"><TBODY closure_uid_843046720="135"><TR closure_uid_843046720="134"><TD width="100%" closure_uid_843046720="133"><META name=ProgId content=Word.Document><META name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12"><META name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 12"><STYLE></STYLE>Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk immediately ordered a Government Commission to clarify the circumstances of the disaster in the Donetsk region Boeing 777 Malaysian Airlines, which followed the rate of Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
Government calls for large-scale international investigation into the whipping July 14 in the Lugansk region of the AN-26 Armed Forces of Ukraine, July 16, in the Donetsk region of SU-25 aircraft of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and disaster Malaysian Boeing 777 with the participation of the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) and European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation ( EUROCONTROL ).<o:p></o:p>

ShieldSquare Captcha

http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/article?art_id=247464787&cat_id=244274130

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

**Gert van der Hoek** · July 17, 2014, 11:46 AM

Re: Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

BBC - Ukraine airliner 'crash' updates

Key Points

A Malaysian airliner has reportedly crashed in Ukraine, near Russian border

Malaysia Airlines says it has lost contact with Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur

Russian news agency Interfax quotes aviation sources as saying there were 280 passengers and 15 crew members on board

There are reports of bodies and burning wreckage on the ground

The Ukrainian military denies shooting down the plane; Ukrainian officials pro-Russian rebels of being responsible

More updates: BBC

.

**Pathfinder** · July 17, 2014, 11:52 AM

Re: Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Official: Malaysian Plane Shot Down Over Ukraine

KIEV, Ukraine ? Jul 17, 2014, 12:37 PM ET
By PETER LEONARD Associated Press

A Ukrainian official said a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down Thursday over a town in the east of the country, and Malaysia Airlines tweeted that it lost contact with one of its flights over Ukrainian airspace.

Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, said on his Facebook page the plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters (33,000 feet). He also said it was hit by a missile fired from a Buk launcher, which can fire missiles up to an altitude of 22,000 meters (72,000 feet).
...
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said his country's armed forces didn't shoot at any airborne targets.

"We do not exclude that this plane was shot down, and we stress that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not take action against any airborne targets," he said. "We are sure that those who are guilty in this tragedy will be held responsible."

Malaysia Airlines said on its Twitter feed that it "has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace."

The plane's destination was Kuala Lumpur.
...

ABC News – Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-malaysian-plane-shot-ukraine-24599942

Page Unavailable

**Gert van der Hoek** · July 17, 2014, 11:52 AM

Re: Malaysian plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Ukraine Separatist Leader Boasts Of Downing Plane

July 17, 2014

[See ETA - Emily]

Shortly before reports surfaced that a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 had crashed in eastern Ukraine, a separatist leader boasted on social media that his men had shot down an aircraft.

In a post on his VKontakte page, Russia's largest social media site, separatist leader Igor Girkin, aka Strelkov, wrote: "In the vicinity of Torez, we just downed a plane, an AN-26. It is lying somewhere in the Progress Mine. We have issued warnings not to fly in our airspace. We have video confirming. The bird fell on a waste heap. Residential areas were not hit. Civilians were not injured."

The AN-26 is a Soviet-built twin-engine transport plane used by the Ukrainian military. Torez is a small city of 80,000 located some 40 kilometers east of Donetsk. Included in the post were two videos that showed a rising plume of black smoke in the distance.

The claim was posted at 5:50 pm Moscow time, shortly before reports surfaced that the Malaysian civilian aircraft, on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, had crashed in eastern Ukraine in the same area near the Russian border.

A Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser, Anton Herashchenko, claimed the plane had been shot down by a ground-to-air missile.

Andrei Purgin, the self-styled first vice premier of the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic, told Interfax the separatists do not have weapons that could shoot down a plane flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities have denied shooting down the Malaysian passenger aircraft.

Ukraine Separatist Social Media Site Claims Plane Downing

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-separatist-leader-boasts-downing-plane/25460930.html

Shortly before reports surfaced that a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 had crashed in eastern Ukraine, a social media site purported to belong to a separatist leader claimed that insurgents had shot down an aircraft.

ETA:
This paragraph is currently present in the quoted rfrel article, indicating this is an unverified account that could have been created by unknown parties for propaganda purposes:

Shortly before reports surfaced that a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 had crashed in eastern Ukraine, a social media site purported to belong to a separatist leader claimed that insurgents had shot down an aircraft.

**Pathfinder** · July 17, 2014, 12:06 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Malaysia Airlines

<A class=_5pcq href="https://www.facebook.com/malaysiaairlines/posts/787289687978344"><ABBR class="_5ptz timestamp livetimestamp" title="Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 9:39am" data-utime="1405615164" data-shorten="1">24 mins</ABBR> ?
‪#‎MASalert‬ -

Media Statement 1 - MH17 Incident
Released at 12:30am/18 July 2014

Malaysia Airlines confirms it received notification from Ukrainian ATC that it had lost contact with flight MH17 at 1415 (GMT) at 30km from Tamak waypoint, approximately 50km from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Flight MH17 operated on a Boeing 777 departed Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Amsterdam local time) and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6.10 am (Malaysia local time) the next day.
The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew onboard.
More details to follow.

Log into Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/malaysiaairlines/posts/787289687978344?cid=social_20140717_28003946

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

**Pathfinder** · July 17, 2014, 01:25 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

17.07.2014 18:47

Press office of President

The President Initiated an Emergency State Commission to Investigate Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 Tragedy together with ICAO and International Experts

Today, approximately at 16.20 (Kyiv time) a Malaysia Airlines aircraft Boeing 777, flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur has vanished off radars.

In recent days, this has become the third tragic accident following AN-26 and SU-25 aircrafts of the Ukrainian Armed Forces downed from the Russian territory. We do not exclude that this aircraft was also attacked and emphasize that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not taken any actions to strike targets in the air.

On behalf of Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko expresses the deepest and the most sincere condolences to families and friends of those who died in this terrible tragedy.

All possible search-and-rescue operations are being carrying out.

President Poroshenko addressed the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to set up an Emergency State Commission for the thorough investigation of this tragedy.

The President has invited the ICAO and other international experts including Dutch and Malaysian representatives to join the investigation efforts.

We are confident that those responsible for this tragedy will be brought to justice.

Біографія Володимира Зеленського — Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/30780.html

Біографія Володимира Зеленського на веб-сайті Офіційного інтернет-представництва Президента України

**Pathfinder** · July 17, 2014, 02:31 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

MH 17 - Ukraine

17 Jul 2014

MH 17 - Ukraine ? 17 July 2014

EUROCONTROL has been informed that MH 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those on board.
According to our information, the aircraft was flying at Flight Level 330 (approximately 10,000 metres/33,000 feet) when it disappeared from the radar. This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 but was open at the level at which the aircraft was flying.

Since the crash, the Ukrainian authorities have informed EUROCONTROL of the closure of routes from the ground to unlimited in Eastern Ukraine (Dnipropetrovsk Flight Information Region). All flight plans that are filed using these routes are now being rejected by EUROCONTROL. The routes will remain closed until further notice.

The European Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell is being activated to coordinate the response to the impact of the airspace closure.

Error 404 - Page not found

http://www.eurocontrol.int/news/mh-17-ukraine

Unfortunately, we could not find the page you are looking for. You can use our search function to find related content on our website, or look directly for all our publications in our library.

Washington Post

**Pathfinder** · July 17, 2014, 02:34 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Malaysia Airlines jet crashes in Ukraine; official says 295 people 'shot down'

By Ashley Fantz, CNN
updated 2:59 PM EDT, Thu July 17, 2014
...
Reacting to the breaking story, CNN's Richard Quest, an aviation expert, said that it would be "extremely unusual" for an airliner at 32,000 feet to be shot down. From the ground, one could simply look up and tell whether a plane was a commercial aircraft.

"It looks like a commercial aircraft, it squawks a commercial aircraft. So something is absolutely appalling that's gone on here," he said.
...
The route the Malaysian plane was on, between Kuala Lumpur and the Netherlands, is a common one, CNN aviation safety consultant Mary Schiavo said Thursday. She said that the plane was flying over a troubled area and that close communication with air traffic controllers would be a key necessity.

In hostile or disputed areas, "any alteration from your course, and you can have a problem," she said.
...
Three months ago, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. airlines from flying in areas not far from where Flight 17 reportedly crashed Thursday. "Due to the potential for conflicting air traffic control instructions from Ukrainian and Russian authorities and for the related potential misidentification of civil aircraft, United States flight operations are prohibited until further notice in the airspace over Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov," the FAA said in April. Thursday's plane crash reportedly was in eastern Ukraine, scores of miles north-northeast of the Sea of Azov.
...

U.S. official: Missile shot down Malaysia Airlines plane | CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/17/world/europe/ukraine-malaysia-airlines-crash/index.html

A Malaysia Airlines jet crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, prompting swift accusations from Ukrainian officials that “terrorists” shot down the plane.

**sharon sanders** · July 17, 2014, 02:43 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

We offer our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. Words can not express the sadness. So many gone in an instant.

There are already calls for war. Both world wars started with less provocation.

More conflict and violence does not honor the people killed today. It only serves those who have no conscience.

An independent international investigation should be conducted and those responsible should be prosecuted according to international law.

Peace for Public Health.

**Emily** · July 17, 2014, 03:19 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

The inbound flight did not fly over the conflict area but the outbound flight did for unknown reasons:

http://www.businessinsider.com/mh17-map-2014-7

See where it was last tracked vs where it went down:

http://www.businessinsider.com/malay...-border-2014-7

A simple point-to-point map (of the shortest distance between origination and destination - NOT flight paths actually followed that go nearer conflict areas or directly over them):
https://goo.gl/maps/BTU7w

**Emily** · July 17, 2014, 03:52 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Why were commercial air carriers not warned to avoid flying over this area?

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...inglePage=true

Airstrike in Eastern Ukraine Kills 11 Civilians
SNIZHNE, Ukraine — Jul 15, 2014, 4:10 PM ET
By MSTYSLAV CHERNOV and PETER LEONARD Associated Press

**Gert van der Hoek** · July 17, 2014, 03:54 PM

Re: Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Pressconference in Amsterdam

298 people on board

preliminary numbers:

Crew: Malaysian - 15 , including passengers in total from Malaysia - 38

Netherlands - 154

Australia - 27

Canada - 1

Indonesia - 11

Belgium - 4

United Kingdom - 6

Philippines - 3

Germany - 4

France - 4 (?)

Nationality unknown yet - 47 (43)

Announcement

Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

Malaysian passenger plane crashes on Ukraine-Russia border

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