Courtesy of OpenStreetMap
Many people say that the plane is one of the safest forms of travel. Due to the horrific event in the skies over Donetsk on July 17th, it was also the last form of travel for 298 innocent people.
Due to the use of a surface-to-air missile, pro-Russian separatists shot down Flight MH17, which was part of the Malaysian Airlines fleet. According to a statement on their website, the the following is the nationalities of the passengers and crew:
- Netherlands – 193
- Malaysia – 43
- Australia – 27
- Indonesia – 12
- United Kingdom – 10
- Germany – 4
- Belgium – 4
- Philippines – 3
- Canada – 1
- New Zealand – 1
Amongst those who died, there was 15 crew members and several children.
According to the President of the European Cockpit Association, MH17 wasn’t supposed to be where it was and was possibly taken off course due to thunderstorms. However, travelling through Ukraine was part of it’s intial plan.
The following video contains audio of an alleged discussion about the crash by the separatists. Whilst the audio is not in English, there is a translation. Whilst many have stated that this is genuine I cannot personally verify the translation. If anyone reading this has the necessary linguistic skills, please leave a comment.
In the above video, there are suspicions that the plane was military in nature and that it contained spies, which was why it was shot down. However, they eventually realised that it was a civilian aircraft. There didn’t seem to be a great deal of remorse, but do you really expect any?
As you can see from the map above, Ukraine is a neighbour of Russia. The militia in Donetsk is widely regarded as being supported by Russia. Vladimir Putin (the multiple-time and current President of Russia, ex-KGB member and part of the Boris Yeltsin administration) had this to say:
“This tragedy would not have happened if it had not have been renewed fighting in the south-east of Ukraine”
He also said:
“Certainly, the State over whose territory it happened, is responsible for this terrible tragedy”
The alleged support of the pro-Russian separatists is clearly unofficial and he wants to absolve himself of any blame. He also implies that it’s the fault of the Ukraine military for intervening.
Wow. How dare they! They have absolutely now right to end the actions of an unofficial terrorist group that’s making the citizens of their country live in fear.
Condemnation and reaction
The Dutch Foreign Minister recently had a meeting with the President of Ukraine and said the following:
“Once we have the proof, we will not stop before the people are brought to justice. Not just the people who pulled the trigger but also those who made it possible. I think the international community needs to step up its efforts in this respect.”
There has been widespread international disgust at the actions that can be allegedly attributed to the Russian government and it’s supporters.
The Dutch Prime Minister said Putin must now “take responsibility”.
The Presidents of the European Comission and European Council issued this response:
“We are shocked by the crash of the Malaysian airliner in Ukraine and the tragic loss of so many lives. Citizens from many nationalities including from the European Union have been killed.
On behalf of the European Union, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Malaysia, to the governments of all other affected nations, and to the families of the victims.
We call for an immediate and thorough investigation into the causes of the crash. The facts and responsibilities need to be established as quickly as possible. The European Union will continue to follow this issue very closely.”
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has joined the calls for an international investigation, but his reaction was criticised by Russia:
“Without bothering himself about evidence and operating only on speculation, Mr. T. Abbott assigned guilt”
President Obama was one of the many to accuse Russia of supporting the separatists and he said the Putin “has the most control over that situation”.
The crash site and the fate of the victims
The crash site has become a magnet for looters, who want to get whatever they can. Clearly, those people have no class. There has been limited press access to the area and there has been suspicions that bodies have been moved in order to do some form of cover up. In addition, the Associated Press has noted that machinery has been seen moving debris – prior to any investigation.
The United Nations has considered a resolution that would demand access to the crash site, so that an investigation can be performed. Interestingly, Putin has supported the idea of an investigation, but stated that it “must not leap to conclusions”. Presumably, this is part of an effort to ensure Russia isn’t blamed. Yeah…I don’t think that’s going to work. The international community will still have a new approach to Russia.
As for the bodies, there have been reports that the remains of many of the victims have been put on a refrigerated train.
SMM to #Ukraine told number of bodies stored in refrigerated train cars in Torez: 196. Cannot yet independently verify #MH17
— СММ ОБСЄ в Україні (@OSCE_SMM) July 20, 2014
The BBC state that the train’s destination is unknown, but it is obvious that the ideal situation would be to have it under the control of the Ukraine government. Unfortunately, there are no accurate figures for the numbers of victims on the train.
The Donetsk region explained
In my post about Petro Poroshenko winning in the Ukraine Presidential elections, I noted that people in the area known as Donetsk Oblast were unable to vote. Why was this? Well, it was because of the separatists, who want nothing to do with the government that is recognised by every country in the world.
The Donbass People’s Militia – the group accused of shooting down MH17 – is a recognised terrorist group and have declared allegiance to the Donetsk People’s Republic. It is self-proclaimed and not recognised by any foreign nation. Officially, it is not even recognised by Russia, despite the militia being aided by the country and being supportive of a link (e.g. federalisation or annexation).
According to UN data, there 962,445 people in the area in 2012 – a figure that will have (no doubt) increased by now. According to 2001 census data (alas, this seems to be the most recent), 38.2% are Russian. Bear in mind that Donetsk (founded in 1869) shares a border with Russia and both used to be part of the Soviet Union – two facts which explain the percentage (and the fact that the percentage is much lower in more Western parts of Ukraine). Although the population has decreased over time, I imagine the number of Russians there won’t be vastly different.
A number of the Russians there will support the actions of the militia and also being part of Russia. However, there will be many in Donetsk who live in fear and do not support the violence and intimidation. There was a referendum (organised by the militia) that took place in May. The New York Times reported that 89% supported greater autonomy, but also mentioned that voter rolls were out of date and that Russia have not officially stated that they wish to annex Donetsk. No nation has recognised the referendum as legitimate. It was unofficial and organised by a terrorist group that would obviously attempt to influence results.
Malaysia Airlines history
According to the BBC, the plane that was shot down is the same model of aircraft as Flight MH370, which famously disappeared in March.
Both of these planes were part of the Malaysia Airlines fleet, which doesn’t exactly help the company. However, corporate reputation is not the main issue by any means and in the case of MH17, it was certainly not their fault.
Finally…
Source – Twitter (@YahooNews)
In some recent blog posts, I have attempted to explain why you should care about a particular subject or country.
However, I would be greatly surprised if anyone doesn’t care about this at all.
Think about all the nations involved. Think about the grieving and loss for so many families. Think about 298 adults and children, who have been robbed of the rest of their lives. Remember that 10 were from the UK.
If you are a parent, imagine what it would be like to lose your children in an event like this. How would you feel? Look at the personal belongings in the above photo and think what it would be like to see the things your relatives own in that wreckage.
Just think for a second about what would happen if this tragedy happened within the borders of your own country. What would the reaction be? How would you feel?
The families and friends of the people on this flight deserve justice and the right to be able to give the fallen a proper burial or cremation.
The rebels (allegedly) did not realise this was a civilian aircraft. However, their ‘rule’ is not recognised by anyone and this supposed mistake cannot possibly be seen as an excuse for their actions.
So, what do you think?