Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy: The world is shaken at last over the Ukraine crises
By Agha Iqrar Haroon
The world is shaken at last over the Ukraine crises. Now it looks that Cat and Mouse game will be over soon. Ukraine was screaming that Eastern Ukrainian separatists have got surface to air missiles from Russia including Buk rockets and they are shooting down aircrafts and helicopters of Ukrainian Air Force but United Nation (UN) was not taking things seriously. Ukrainian aircraft (AN-26) Ан-26 was shot down by separatists on July 14, 2014 and second aircraft Су-25 (Su-25) was shot down just a day before MH17 tragedy took place on July 16, 2014. Ukraine Forces have also Buk rockets near its border with Russia—where MH17 was shot down. Russian shot down MH-17 or Ukraine shot it down, is an issue that needs through investigation at expert level but point is clear that Ukraine-Russia-European Union and United States have made this region dangerous for whole of the world.
Shooting down aircraft in the region was actually started in June 2014. During the night of 13 to 14 June 2014, 76MD was shot down and 40 Ukrainian Marines killed in the action.
On July 2, 2014, Su-24 was targeted and shelled over Donetsk region. Despite the engine caught fire, the plane returned to the airport.
On July 14, 2014, Antonov An-26 of Ukraine Air Force was downed near the village Izvarino Luhansk region and fell near the village Kruzhilovka.
On July 16, 2014, Information Centre of “People’s Militia of Donbass” confirmed that Militia downed two Su-25 of Ukrainian Air Force near the mound Saur-Tomb and the Gorlivka city .
US airlines abandoned international flying zone over Eastern Ukraine when war escalated in Eastern Europe but unfortunate to say Malaysia Airlines continued to use this air route. Eastern Ukraine is conflict zone where surface to air and air to surface weapons are being used since April this year. World did not respond to this situation thinking that this is a conflict of Russia-European Union and the United States. Now this conflict has engulfed the whole world after tragic incident of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17. Investigations have already been started and International monitors have arrived at Ukraine crash site. OSCE staff also arrived at Ukraine crash site by helicopter. OSCE said that Russia/Ukraine/OSCE “Contact group” met on Friday and spoke to separatist leaders by video link. Ukrainian separatists are fighting against sitting government of Ukraine as they believe that they have independent country in Eastern Ukraine after they won referendum for getting independence.
Friday’s emergency session of United Nation (UN) Council discussed the shooting down of MH17 in separatists controlled area. UN Security Council calls for “full, thorough and independent international investigation” into downing of Malaysia plain in Ukraine. World leaders demanded an international investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Eastern Ukraine and believe that Ukrainian conflict must be an end now.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has sent very strong message to whosoever is responsible for shooting down the aircraft.
“Let’s get one thing extremely clear this afternoon: We will turn over every stone and if it turns out to be an attack, I will not rest until the culprits are brought to justice”. It may be mentioned that there were 189 Dutch citizens onboard.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is justified to say that the whole world has seen the true face of the aggressor, for the downing of the civil aircraft is an act of international terrorism. For him, Russia is aggressor. While Russian President Vladimir Putin is of the view that the tragedy of MH17 once more shows that it is necessary to find a peaceful solution to the bitter crisis in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that events have shown there must be a political solution for Ukraine crises and it is responsibility of Russia for what is happening in Ukraine right now.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak who yet to come out of psychological trauma after the disappearance of MH370 flight said:
“We must – and we will – find out precisely what happened to this flight (MH17). If it transpires that the plane was indeed shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to justice.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Friday blasted the “terrorists” he blamed for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine a day earlier, with 298 people aboard. He called on all governments to back the investigation and “to support the Ukrainian government to bring to justice all these bastards who committed this international crime.”
On the other side, the Russian Defense Ministry has said that neither the Buk missile defense system, nor any other military equipment, has crossed the Russian border into Ukraine. Such border crossings “can’t be performed in secrecy,” the official representative for the Russian Defense Ministry told journalists in Moscow.
