Russia’s Kremlin-controlled RT has heavily redacted previously unreleased footage of the MH17 crash site that is consistent with indications that the Malaysian airliner was mistakenly shot down by Russian-backed rebels who thought they had destroyed a Ukrainian military jet.
Advertisement
A preliminary report released in the Netherlands past year said the plane had no technical problems in the seconds before it broke up in the sky after being struck by multiple objects – a conclusion that experts said likely pointed to a missile strike.
Ukraine has blamed Russian-backed separatist rebels for shooting down the jet, while Moscow blames Ukraine.
As The Associated Press notes: “the rebel denials of shooting down MH17 have been increasingly challenged by resident accounts, journalists’ observations on the ground and the statements of one rebel official”.
At the crash site in eastern Ukraine, around 200 villagers gathered to remember the day bodies and plane parts fell from the sky.
“I begged my husband not to go to work because I was afraid but he told me ‘this is my job, it is my duty, I have to do it”,’ said Asmaa Aljuned.
The May 2014 incident came just a month into a war between Kiev forces and pro-Russian militias that has claimed the lives of 6,500 people in eastern Ukraine. Speaking Friday to reporters in Kyiv, he said he was shocked at “how little has changed”.
The memorial, in parliament house gardens, bears the names of all 38 Australians killed aboard the Boeing 777.
On behalf of the MH17 crew members, a teary-eyed Sharifah Asmaa gave a heart-wrenching speech to the victims’ next-of-kin who came from all over the world. Poroshenko said he was anxious, even more so since they already had access to a large scope of wreckage and the remains of the rocket which shot down MH17.
“It would not have happened without the participation and an order from top political and military leaders of the neighbouring state”, Poroshenko said in a televised address.
Abbott and his wife laid a wreath at the base of the plaque.
“Today, our people recall this tragedy and share the grief and sorrow of the families who lost their loved ones”, he said. Some kissed the bouquets before they placed them down, while others kissed their fingers and pressed them against the plaque. “We are absolutely sure that MH17 was shot down with the clear support of Russian-led terrorists and, allegedly, Russian regular military forces”, said Yatsenyuk.
The commemoration held a minute’s silence exactly one year after air traffic control lost contact with the flight.
CNN couldn’t immediately verify whether the video is authentic or who the people in it are.
Russian Federation has denied involvement in the plane’s crash and suggested that it may have been downed by an overzealous Ukrainian fighter pilot.
Flags on Dutch government buildings around the country were flying at half-staff throughout the day.
As evidence continues to surface, detectives from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine are working on a criminal investigation into the case.
In Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini offered her condolences Friday to the families of the victims and called for a quick probe.
Dutch relatives of those killed when flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine a year ago have attended an emotional memorial service as calls mounted for a UN-backed tribunal to prosecute those responsible.
Advertisement
Russia, which holds a veto on the Security Council, opposes setting up a tribunal.
