MH17 Crash & The Crisis in Ukraine
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MH17 Crash &
The Crisis in Ukraine
Myroslav Petriw
The Baseline
With the occupation and annexation of Crimea now confirmed in the March 16, 2014 referendum, Putin’s Russia
moved on to its next stage in the invasion of Ukraine. No fewer than five provinces (oblasts) of Ukraine were
considered to be vulnerable to Russian invasion. The ease by which Crimea was taken was an irresistible invitation
to further incursion. Putin understood better than baffled Western analysts why no real resistance was offered
against his aggressions. It was later revealed that Ukraine’s military had been dismantled and demoralized to the
point that—across the country—only 6, 000 of some 130, 000 men on paper were combat ready.1
The story of the gradual destruction of the world’s former fourth largest military power needs to be told to
better understand this second phase of the Russian invasion and the de facto Ukrainian-Russian War. The first
President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, was a former member of the Ukrainian SSR’s Communist Party agitprop
department that was in charge of Soviet orthodoxy, who later became the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet. During
the 1991 August Putsch he resigned from the Communist Party and opportunistically accepted the role of head of
a newly independent Ukraine. In 1991, Ukraine inherited a force of 800, 000 men, 6, 100 tanks, 8, 000 Armored
Personnel Carriers (APC’s) and 1, 100 combat aircraft.2 Kravchuk set the precedent by reducing the armed forces
by 350, 000 down to 450, 000 men. Strangely, he also agreed to the division of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) on a
proportional basis, forgetting to also include the Soviet Union’s entire navy in that proportion. Instead of keeping
the entire BSF, he agreed to a mere 18.3% of it and allowed Russia to base their lion’s share of the Black Sea Fleet
in Sevastopol on sovereign Ukrainian territory.3 In just two decades the army was optimized, reduced, reformed,
restructured, and ultimately left unprepared for combat. Kravchuk was also responsible for giving up Ukraine’s
nuclear arsenal in the Budapest Memorandum.
Having tasted the easy money from the sale of surplus equipment, senior military officials continued the reduction
process down to 310,000.4 Minister of Defense, Oleksandr Kuzmuk (1996-2001), sold the partly completed
Soviet-era Kyiv-class aircraft carrier Varyah for scrap to China. This so-called scrap metal was launched as the
aircraft carrier Liaoning in 2011. Similarly, under the Minister of Defense Volodymyr Shkidchenko (2001-2003),
the Guided Missile Cruiser Ukrayina that was already 95% complete was mothballed at the Mykolayiv Shipyard.
President Yushchenko (2005-2010) decided to, “upgrade the military to NATO standards,”5 and so reduced this
force even further to 210, 000. President Yanukovych reduced that number to 135, 000 by 2014 and planned to
drop it to 70, 000 in 2017.6 Similarly, the upper echelons of command were riddled with Pro-Russian patriots. The
language of command and control in Ukraine’s military apparently remained Russian despite twenty-three years of
independence.
1
Briefing Note 50 | Mackenzie Institute
The Buildup
The leadership and self-defence of the Maidan Ukrainian Revolution set an example for Ukraine’s much
blunted military when Ukraine came under threat this year. Dmytro Yarosh, the head of the Right Sector, a
self-defence group formed during the early days of Maidan demonstrations, announced that he had pulled out
of the presidential race to focus his talents on the defense of the land.7 Contrary to all Western media logic, an
alliance between Yarosh and the newly appointed Jewish-Ukrainian oligarch Governor of Dnipropetrovsk, Igor
Kolomoysky, allowed for the formation, training, and equipment of a citizen’s fighting force. This force consisted
of several colorfully named battalions under the umbrella designation of the National Guard. These citizen-
warriors were the example for the demoralized regular forces in a war that later came to be known as the Anti-
Terror Operation (ATO). In the first weeks of the war it was the Aidar, Azov, and Donbas battalions,8 as well as the
original “Right Sector,” that would see the heaviest fighting and would take the greatest number of casualties.9
By early April, the buildup of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders was quite alarming10. Military professionals
warned of an imminent invasion.11 Russian diplomatic threats included Putin’s statement about revising the
Bialowieza Accords12—an agreement to split up the USSR set out on December 6, 1991. Speculation about targeted
oblast’s (provinces) included Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Odesa.13
As early as 19 March 2014, Ukraine’s Sluzhba Bezpeky Ukrayiny (SBU) Security Service of Ukraine intercepted
diversionary groups in the Luhansk oblast.14 A report of the event states that other similar intercepted groups
were comprised of Russian citizens including operatives of its special forces. They discovered five professionally
equipped safe-houses, detailed instructions regarding the destabilization of Ukraine, seizure of government
buildings, and plans to block the presidential election scheduled for 25 May 2014.15 Among confiscated items were
rifled firearms, firearm instructions, lists of members of the group, as well as currency.
The center of the pro-Russian occupation was the town of Slovyansk, located on a major highway at the halfway
point between Donetsk and Kharkiv. Other towns occupied within a 30km radius included Krasnyi, Kramatorsk,
Kostyantynivka, as well as Krasnoarmiisk which is situated on the major highway from Dnipropetrovsk. Ukrainian
2
aircraft and helicopters at the Kramatorsk airfield had to be scrambled to prevent their capture as the military
attempted to fight off the assault. An attempt by Ukrainian forces to retake Slovyansk, on 1 May 2014, resulted in
the downing of a Ukraine helicopter and the capture of its wounded pilot.16 This was the first of many helicopter
losses by Ukraine and a clear indication of the sophisticated armaments that Russia was willing to supply to their
surrogates in Ukraine.
By 14 April 2014, Ukraine was dealing with widespread Russian aggression led by Moscow’s intelligence and
diversional operatives. In town after town, armed men bearing no identification other than that of the infamous
orange and black striped Georgian ribbons, were taking over police stations and municipal buildings. These
assaults were met with little resistance from local police—a direct result of the corruption of “civil servants” who
had been supplementing their meagre salaries through protection rackets, extortion, and drug trafficking. Similarly,
much of the civilian populace of eastern Ukraine that had been shielded from western and central Ukrainian
influence continued to be supporters of Victor Yanukovych, their deposed leader.17 The so-called “separatist”
movement attracted the local crime world who were also afraid of the threat of post-revolutionary Kyiv’s anti-
corruption reforms.18 The deeply criminalised world of Yanukovych’s wild Donbas were a force to be reckoned with.
As a result, the Russian infiltration initially met with some active support and very little resistance.
The Spark
The 25 May 2014 was the day of the Presidential elections. For the first time in Ukraine’s history there was a clear
winner in the first round of elections. Petro Poroshenko was declared the outright winner with 54.7% of the vote.19
This win meant that Ukraine could avoid the possibility of Russian’s disrupting a run-off election. It legitimized
the Ukrainian Revolution in the eyes of western democrats. It provided the country with a sense of stability and
direction. President Petro Poroshenko vowed to defeat terrorism in the east and to return Crimea to Ukraine.20
The Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), as President Poroshenko officially called the war, continued with heavy losses
on both sides. Ukraine’s regular forces, including the 79th Air Mobile brigade, had limited defence options and had
consequently taken a beating on 12 June 2014, leaving at least two killed and between twenty-one and twenty-
five wounded (reports differ whether the battle was on the Russian border or near Slovyansk, but they all agree
that they were facing professional Russian mercenaries).21 During the night of 13-14 June 2014 an Il-76 transport
plane was shot down killing forty-nine men including General Serhiy Kulchytskyy as it approached the Luhansk
airfield. It was hit by a missile but continued its approach until it succumbed to heavy machine gun fire.22 It was
not surprising that on 15 June 2014 General Oleksandr Shutov of the General Staff was relieved of his duties on
directions from the President.
Under pressure from the EU, President Poroshenko declared a unilateral seven day cease fire that began on June
20. Eighteen Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the cease fire. He then extended the cease fire three more days,
during which 9 more Ukrainians were killed.23 After the cease fire Ukrainian forces began a major offensive that by
5 July 2014 had liberated Slovyansk and Kramatorsk and forced Strelkov and his men to retreat to Donetsk.24
On 2 July 2014, President Petro Poroshenko appointed Valeriy Geletey as Minister of Defense. Victor Muzhenko
was appointed Chief of the General Staff. They had both recently led a victorious assault on Karachun—a strategic
hill overlooking Slovyansk. After the successful liberation of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, the ATO began to pursue
two objectives. The first was to surround Luhansk and the second was to re-establish control over the border with
Russia. However, a week later there was still a gap in the border directly east of Luhansk that included two major
highways that were wide open to fresh invaders. Ukrainian forces controlled the border south of that, but were
trapped in a very narrow pocket with the terrorists on one side and the Russian border with the ever present and
ever more active Russian regulars on the other.
The ATO had success in early July and had squeezed the pro-Russian forces into an area less than half of what
they had once occupied. Sloviansk had been retaken by the ATO. Furthermore, the nearly completed closure of
the border was eliciting a response from the regular Russian forces sitting on Ukraine’s border. The 24th motorized
brigade from Yavoriv and the 79th Air Mobile brigade came under a brutal missile attack in Zelenopillia at 4:30am
of 11 July 2014. They were hit by a hail of Grad missiles from the direction of the Russian border. In an instant
they had suffered 19 killed and 93 wounded.25 In addition to this shelling by Russian missile batteries, at noon on
3
12 July 2014, four armored columns proudly displaying Russian flags crossed the border heading for Luhansk.26
The next day, a concentration of Russian troops and vehicles displaying the Russian flag were seen near Heyivka in
the Luhansk oblast’ near the Russian border. They appeared to be allowing for the rotation of pro-Russian troops
from Luhansk.27 That same day a Ukrainian Su-25 (NATO designation Frogfoot) ground attack fighter was hit and
damaged by a man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) surface-to-air missile. Authorities claim that the
plane managed to return to base.28 The attempt by the ATO to surround Luhansk was later abandoned lest those
Ukrainian troops find themselves trapped in a pocket facing fresh troops from Russia.
On 14 July 2014, the narrow pocket of Ukrainian forces along the Russian border came under another intense
attack. The open south end of the pocket was below the war memorial of Saur Mohyla (barrow) on a strategic
high ground held by the Vostok terrorist battalion. Ukraine’s volunteer battalion, Azov, had sustained heavy losses
here earlier on 6 July 2014.29 A Russian victory here could result in a complete encirclement of Ukrainian forces
holding the border which were already barely defensible positions. But since Russia was prepared to fire across the
border these positions could be held only if Saur Mohyla was taken. Ukraine announced the taking of Saur Mohyla
on 28 July 2014.30 The resupply of the Ukrainian forces that were pinned to Russia’s border was being severely
compromised. Reports were surfacing that the 5, 000 men located there were running low on ammunition, food,
and water.
On Monday 14 July 2014 at about 2:30pm an AN-26 transport plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in
Luhansk oblast’.31 It was flying at about 6400 m (21, 000 ft.) when it was hit by what experts conclude was a Buk
(rhymes with duke) surface-to-air missile.32 Ukrainian officials concluded that the surface-to-air missile had to be
fired from inside Russian territory.33 It is likely that the transport plane was involved in a resupply mission for the
beleaguered forces at the border. It may be that it was at this point that Strelkov’s terrorists asked Russia to supply
them with their own Buk anti-aircraft missiles.
On 16 July 2014 the terrorists in the area of Saur Mohyla began a massive attack from the village of Stepanivka. The
attack against the Ukrainian post employed tanks, mortars, and portable missiles.34 The National Guard fought off
the attack and pushed the enemy back to Stepanivka. The previous night the forces of the ATO had been attacked
by Grad missiles, mortars, and self-propelled 122mm guns.35 That fire came from the direction of the Russian
border. The forces of the ATO reportedly returned fire.36
4
The Explosion
The world was stunned on Thursday 17 July 2014 by the horrifying news that a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777
flying at 33,000ft from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur had crashed in eastern Ukraine near the Russian border.37
Given the altitude of the airliner, only a sophisticated Buk surface to-air-missile could have brought it down.
Monitors of the internet had recorded Strelkov, the self-appointed ex-GRU Minister of Defense of the terrorists,
bragging on Twitter about bringing down a Ukrainian AN-26 transport plane following the crash. At present, the
terrorist site Russka Vesna continues to claim that they hit a Ukrainian military aircraft that day.38 The photo of
their victim’s wreckage on their website is that of the AN-26 that was shot down three days earlier.39
The Ukrainian SBU released recordings of phone conversations of the terrorists. The following is a translation of a
conversation just as the plane was hit.
“Strelkov: ‘The plane was hit! Look at those black spots, these are the parts, flying … it was a blast … look, look,
black smoke!’
Another voice: ‘It was worth bringing this thing, wasn’t it?’
Strelkov: Just now the plane was hit
Second man: All over! It is already over!
Strelkov: It is going down now somewhere in the Progress area
Second man: It is over! It is over!
Strelkov: We are out now, watching. Look at those black spots, these are parts, flying. And it was a blast…
Third man: Yes, I see
Strelkov: Look, look, black smoke right behind Terrikon [slag mound], where Progress is...
Third man: It is now when the real work starts.
Second man: F*** plane!
Strelkov: Look, look at the smoke!
Third man: That was a blast!
Strelkov: Call him now!
Second man: They got it, they hit it! They shoot and hit it!
Third man: (laughs) It was worth bringing this thing, wasn’t it?”40
Then immediately afterwards, Strelkov tweeted the following:
“‘In the area of Torez we just shot down an An-26, it’s lying somewhere in the mine ‘Progress.’
‘We warned you – do not fly in ‘our sky.’ And here is the video confirmation of the ‘bird dropping’. ‘The
Bird fell near the mine, the residential sector was not disturbed. Civilians are not injured.’”41
In subsequent days several sources confirmed that Malaysian Airlines MH-17 was shot down by a Buk M1 surface-
to-air missile (NATO designation SA-11 Gadfly) launched from inside terrorist territory between Snizhne and Saur
Mohyla, and crashed near the town of Torez.42 Reportedly, two Buk systems had recently been provided by Russia.43
Intelligence from civilians with pictures and video evidence, combined with SBU intercepted phone conversations,
allow us to paint a picture of this infamous Buk missile battery. It was transported by tractor trailer on 17 July 2014
to an area just south of the town of Snizhne.44 The SBU voice recording supports this:
“Talks between terrorists:
July 17, 2014
Khmuryi: Sergei Nikolaevich Petrovskiy, Officer of Main Intelligence Directorate of Russian Federation, the
Strelkov: Deputy Chief of Intelligence for Igor Girkin; at the time of the interception he was in Donetsk.
5
Buryat: militant of rebel group Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Buryat: Where should we load this beauty, Nikolaievich? Khmuryi: Which one? This one? Buryat: Yes, the one I’ve brought. I’m already in Donetsk. Khmuryi: Is it the one I’m thinking about? “B…,”M” one? Buryat: Yes, yes, yes. “BUK”,”BUK”. Khmuryi: Is it on a tractor? Buryat: Yes, it’s on it. We need to unload it somewhere, in order to hide. Khmuryi: Is it with a crew? Buryat: Yes, with the crew. Khmuryi: Don’t hide it anywhere. She’ll go there now. July 17, 2014 Khmuryi: Tell me, have you brought me one or two? Buryat: One, one. Because they had a misunderstanding there. They didn’t give us a tug. We loaded it and went at their own pace. Khmuryi: Did it go on her own or on a tug? Buryat: It crossed the line (border). H: And now have you brought it on a tug [tractor trailer]? Don’t put in anywhere… I’ll tell now where it should go, it will go together with “Vostok” tanks. July 17, 2014 Khmuryi and “Sanych” – militant of terrorist organization “DNR” and Deputy of Khmuryi. Khmuryi: Sanych, the point is that my “BUK–M” will go with yours, it is on a tug. Where should I drive it to put in a column? Sanych: There, behind “Motel”, not reaching Hornostaevka. Khmuryi: Just after the Motel, right?
July 17, 2014
Khmuryi: Listen to me carefully, behind the circle near “Motel” there will be you know what. Call to “Bibliotekar”
(Librarian). Bring inside only those, who just came back, only as much as you need for the convoy. Leave everyone
else here. Not far away there is Pervomaiskoe, look at the map.
DNR militant: I got it.
Khmuryi: Settle somewhere in that area, bring there those who are left. Your task is reserve, plus protection of this
piece, which you will drive now. “Giyrza” will come there too. If anything, I’m on line.
DNR militant: Ok.
July 17, 2014
Khmuryi and “Botsman” – officer of Main Intelligence Directorate of Russian Federation (to be identified).
Khmuryi: Yes, Botsman, I’m listening.
Buryat: Hello, big brother. How are you?
Khmuryi: Not so well. We are in Mariinovka. That’s why not well. Carrying on.
Buryat: What’s wrong?
Khmuryi: What do you think? (The Ukrainian army is) attacking with “Grad” (multiple-rocket launchers) all
the time, finally now we’re having a little break. We’ve just hit a plane, Su–type. Because we’ve got BUK–M. They
(Ukrainian soldiers) are now in Zelenopillja, trying to break free, but their way out is only through me. Yesterday
we hit 2 Su jets, today – another two. Thank God “BUK–M” arrived today in the morning. It became easier. But in
general, of course, it’s tough.
Buryat: What can I say, if you need anything, call me – and I’ll arrive immediately.
H: Thanks, brother. I’m going in two hours…Seems like it’s a lull. In two hours I’m heading to Donetsk. Because I
was sent three more “Gvozdika” (self–propelled artillery). Will carry ‘Gvozdikas’ here because it’s really tough now.
Buryat: Maybe we should cover them with (our own) Grad (multiple-rocket launchers)?
H: The thing is that we have Grad, but no spotter. And secondly, we are waiting for Russia to f*** them from their
side.”45
7Briefing Note 50 | Mackenzie Institute
U.S. Intelligence assessments agree that the terrorists launched the Buk M1 missile that brought down flight MH-17
and that the missile was transported from Russia.46 They have also noted that the systems have been quickly shipped
back to Russia.47
Meanwhile, the crash site which is near the village of Hrabove directly north of Torez on the Donetsk-Luhansk
oblast’ border, was poorly secured. Men in fatigues wandered the site, disturbing the evidence while pilfering items
such as credit cards.48 The plane’s black-boxes were also taken and were threatened to be sent to Moscow. At the
same time, international forensic experts had delayed access to the site. It was on the fourth day, only after a UN
Security Council resolution on the subject that international experts were allowed to perform their work.49
Ignoring world opinion and scrapping any pretense of non-involvement in actual combat, that same 17 July 2014
Russian forces scrambled a MiG-29 fighter across the border and fired a missile at a Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack
aircraft. The Su-25 was damaged but returned to base.50
The misguided missile attack on flight MH17 was clearly part of the terrorists’ anti-aircraft tactics in the Saur
Mohyla battle which attempted to interdict the resupply of Ukrainian forces. The 298 innocent lives from four
continents added to the body count of Ukraine’s battle to secure its border with Russia.
The events of 17 July 2014 come just a day after the U.S. boosted the level of its sanctions on Russia. This
included, for the first time, sectoral sanctions against specific companies including Rosneft, Gazprombank,
Vnesheconombank, VEB, but they stopped short of freezing their assets.51 On 21 July 2014 Canada’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs, John Baird, announced that Canada is expediting new sanctions against both individuals and
entities.52 Russia appears to be oblivious to sanctions, international law, and world opinion in pursuing an imperial
goal that should have no place in the 21st century.
So far, much of the world had been able to turn a blind eye to events in Ukraine. The shoot-down of the Malaysian
aircraft has brought the world’s attention to Russia’s hybrid war on Ukraine. Nearly a century ago it took the sinking
of the Lusitania to bring America into a stalemated war. Today, the question is whether the U.S. or the EU will react
by shipping badly needed military hardware to Ukraine, or will they continue to ignore the collapse of the very
rules of conduct that brought them the comfort and wealth that they take for granted?
8Endnotes 1 Euromaidan Press Staff, “Who destroyed the Ukrainian Army?” Translation by Christine Chraibi, Euromaidan Press, 16 July 2014, http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/07/16/who-destroyed-the-ukrainian-army/. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Dmytro Yarosh, interview by Euromaiden Press, YouTube, 23 May 2014, http://youtu.be/Me3DAShrcKs 8 “Volunteer Donbas battalion takes up arms to defend Ukraine, defeat separatists,” Christopher J. Miller, Kyiv Post, 14 May 2014, http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/volunteer-donbass-battalion-takes-up-arms-to-defend-ukraine- defeat-separatists-347764.html. 9 “Ukraine’s Do-It-Yourself War,” Vera Mironova and Valerie Hopkins, Foreign Policy, 11 July 2014, http://www. foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/07/11/ukraine_s_do_it_yourself_war. 10 “NATO Satellite Photos Show Russian Military Buildup Near Ukraine,” Adrian Croft, Reuters, 10 April 2014, http:// www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/10/us-ukraine-crisis-nato-photos-idUSBREA391DA20140410. 11 “Real Intentions of Russia,” Admiral Igor Kabanenko, Info Resist, 3 April 2014, http://en.inforesist.org/admiral- igor-kabanenko-real-intentions-of-russia/. 12 Ibid. 13 “Dmitry Tymchuk: Southeast of Ukraine – threats and perspectives, April 22,” Dmitry Tymuchuk, translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine, Voices of Ukraine, 23 April 2014, http://maidantranslations.com/2014/04/23/dmitry-tymchuk- southeast-of-ukraine-threats-and-perspectives-april-22/. 14 “SBU Intercepts Diversionary Groups in Luhansk,” RFE website, 19 March 2014. 15 Ibid. 16 In Slovyansk There is a Battle, Separatists Have Taken a Ukrainian Pilot, Ukrayinska Pravda, 2 May 2014, http:// www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/05/2/7024139/. 17 “The Ukrainian Revolution: Conflict Of Civilizational Choice In The Geographical Centre Of Europe - Information Wars,” Myroslav Petriw, The Mackenzie Institute, 6 Feb 2014, http://www.mackenzieinstitute.com/euro-maidan-ukrainian- revolution-conflict-civilizational-choice-geographical-centre-europe/. 18 “Ukraine’s Mob War,” Mark Galeotii, Foreign Policy, 1 May 2014, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/ articles/2014/05/01/ukraines_mob_war_mafia_russia. 19 “Ukrainian presidential election 2014,” Wikipedia, 8 July 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_ presidential_election,_2014. 20 “Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine,” Official Website, 7 June 2014, http://www.president.gov.ua/en/ news/30488.html. 21 “Soldiers trapped in an ambush, media reports casualties,” Ukr. Pravda, 13 July 2014, http://www.pravda.com.ua/ news/2014/06/13/7028870. 22 “Ukrainian Il-76 flies through MANPADS infested zone: Separatists shoot it down,” David Cenciotti, The Aviationist, 14 Jun 2014, http://theaviationist.com/2014/06/14/ukrainian-il-76-downed/. 23 “Ukraine begins military offensive as cease-fire ends,” Laura Smith-Spark and Alla Eshchenko, CNN, 1 July 2014,
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/. 24 “Ukraine army regains control of Slovyansk,” Chris Johnston, Guardian, 5 July 2014, http://www.theguardian.com/ world/2014/jul/05/ukraine-army-regains-control-slavyansk. 25 Ukrainians by Zelenopillia were being killed by Russian forces, iPress, 12 July 2014, http://ipress.ua/articles/ ukraintsiv_pid_zelenopillyam_ubyvaly_rosiyski_viyska_74231.html. 26 “A large column of armor crossed into Luhansk oblast bearing Russian flags – Eyewitnesses,” UNIAN, 12 July 2014, http://www.unian.ua/politics/938947-u-lugansku-oblast-zajihala-velika-kolona-bronetehniki-pid-praporami-rf-ochevidtsi. html. 27 “Today a large concentration of Russian forces was seen by Heyivka near the Ukrainian-Russian border,” Andriy Lysenko, Espreso TV, 12 July 2014. 28 After a successful strike against the terrorists a wounded plane returns to its airfield , Crime.in.UA, 13 July 2014, http://crime.in.ua/news/20140713/aviaudary. 29 “DNR Defeated Militia Battalion “Azov” in Saur-Graves, Dozens Dead,” Nikolaj, Politicus.ru, 6 July 2014, http:// politikus.ru/events/23569-opolchency-dnr-razgromili-batalon-azov-u-saur-mogily-desyatki-ubityh.html. 30 “Briefing about developments in Ukraine of the Information Center of National Security and Defense Council, on July 28, 2014 (5:00),” National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, 28 July 2014, Ukrstream TV, http://youtu.be/ euuitsgWHnY. 31 “SBU has irrefutable evidence of Russia’s involvement in AN-26 crash,” NRCU, 15 July 2014, http://www.ukrinform. ua/eng/news/sbu_has_irrefutable_evidence_of_russias_involvement_in_an_26_crash_323805. 32 Ibid. 33 Ibid. 34 “By Marynivka terrorists are attacking the National Guard,” Dmitry Tymchuk, Ukr. Pravda, 16 July 2014, http:// www.kyivpost.com/opinion/op-ed/dmitry-tymchuks-military-blog-terrorists-attack-marynivka-border-checkpoint-france- helps-russian-aggressors-350839.html. 35 Ibid. 36 Ibid. 37 “As it happened: Malaysian plane crash in Ukraine,” British Broadcasting Corporation, July 2014, http://www.bbc. com/news/world-28354787. 38 A Plane was shot down over Torez (video), Russka Vesna, 17 July 2014. 39 Ibid. 40 “The Man Most Likely Responsible For Downing Flight MH17, Strelkov, May Have Made An Abominable Mistake,” Peter Farqihar, Business Insider (Australia), 18 July 2014, http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-man-most-likely- responsible-for-downing-flight-mh17-strelkov-may-have-made-an-abominable-mistake-2014-7. 41 “The Man Most Likely Responsible For Downing Flight MH17, Strelkov, May Have Made An Abominable Mistake,” Peter Farqihar, Business Insider (Australia), 18 July 2014, http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-man-most-likely- responsible-for-downing-flight-mh17-strelkov-may-have-made-an-abominable-mistake-2014-7. 42 “Exclusive Footage of MH17 Aftermath: Russian Roulette (Dispatch 60),” Simon Ostrobsky, VICE News, 18 July 2014, https://news.vice.com/video/exclusive-footage-of-mh17-aftermath-russian-roulette-dispatch-60. 43 The fighters in the East had at least two Buks, - Serheyev , UA112, 18 July 2014, http://ua.112.ua/politika/u- boyovikiv-na-shodi-bulo-yak-minimum-dva-buka-sergyeyev-89819.html . 44 “Russian transport of BUK into Ukraine on July 17th,” P. Martin, U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, 17 July 2014, http:// www.usubc.org/site/recent-news/russian-transport-of-buk-into-ukraine-on-july-17th.
45 “Here Are The Intercepted Transcripts Indicating Russian Rebels Shot Down Malaysian Flight MH17,” Paul Robert Gregory, Forbes, 19 July 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/07/19/what-more-smoking-guns- are-needed-for-mh17-the-worlds-first-sam-terrorism/. 46 Margaret Coker, Adam Entous, Robert Wall and Alan Cullison, U.S. Points to Russian Missile Connection in Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Crash , WSJ website, 19 July 2014. 47 Ibid. 48 “MH17 crash victim Cameron Dalziel ‘had credit cards stolen’,” Heather Saul, The Independent, 25 July 2014, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mh17-crash-victim-cameron-dalziel-had-credit-cards- stolen-9627851.html. 49 “MH17 plane crash: UN demands immediate crash site access,” BBC News, 21 July 2014, http://www.bbc.com/ news/world-europe-28412346. 50 A Russian MiG-29 tries to shoot down a Ukrainian plane , UAINFO, 18 July 2014, http://uainfo.org/ yandex/358996-rossiyskiy-istrebitel-mig-29-pytalsya-sbit-ukrainskiy-samolet-rnbo-video-peregovory.html. 51 “Ukraine crisis: US and EU boost sanctions on Russia,” BBC News, 16 July 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/ world-europe-28338897. 52 “Canada to expedite new sanctions against Russia,” Andrea Janus, CTV News, 21 July 2014, http://www.ctvnews. ca/politics/canada-to-expedite-new-sanctions-against-russia-1.1923707.
The Mackenzie Institute P.O. Box 338, Adelaide Station Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2J4 T +1 416 686 4063 E institute@mackenzieinstitute.com www.mackenzieinstitute.com The opinions of the writers published herein do not necessarily reflect the views or politics of The Mackenzie Institute or its Board. © The Mackenzie Institute. All rights reserved. 2014.
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