Newsy has also presented perspectives urging caution against blaming Russia. See that video here.
Who murdered the 298 people aboard Malaysian Flight MH17?
Most of the western media already has an answer: Russian separatists. In Ukraine. With a Missile.
"Coming out from US intelligence analysis they do believe it most likely was a missile that shot down this flight. It was from fire by a pro-Russian separatist inside Ukraine." (Via CNN)
Experts says the missile was fired from a cold-war era "Buk" missile system, a weapon held by both the Russian and Ukrainian military.
"This is a very sophisticated weapon. This is not an RPG or even a Stinger. This is a very high tech piece of military hardware." (Via Fox News)
The Russian government-funded news site RT reported that a Ukrainian battery was operational in the region.
But a Ukrainian military spokesman said his nation didn't control that part of Ukraine, and that MH17 was "outside the zone of possible destruction by the anti-aircraft forces of Ukraine." (Via The New York Times)
Separatist leader Andrei Purgin said he didn't know whether rebel forces owned Buk missile launchers. (Via CBS)
Which is strange, considering that separatist leaders bragged about the capture of a Buk battery to a Russian news agency in June. (Via ITAR-TASS)
And in a recording acquired by the New York Times, separtist leaders seem to admit they shot down the plane.
Even more interesting is a video provided by the Ukrainian government Thursday morning, which seems to show a used Buk launcher being moved out of Ukraine and into Russia with two missiles missing.
The United States has not hesitated to connect the dots between the separatists and their alleged Russian benefactors.
Senator John McCain was quick to get on the record. "And if these are … separatists, which are also Russian, Vladimir Putin should be paying a heavy price." (Via Roll Call)
And Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said "it strains credulity to think that (the missile) could be used by separatists without at least some measure of Russian support and technical assistance."
But former congressmen Ron Paul downplayed Russian involvement, comparing the situation to the U.S. inadvertently arming terrorists in Syria.
"But they’re Russian weapons.
"That may well be true but guess what ISIS has a lot of American weapons." (via Newsmax)
If the separatists are found responsible, it wouldn't be the first time: They've shot down at least 10 planes since violence in the region began.
