Russia distances itself from MH17 downing, points to Ukrainian fighter jet

(Malay Mail Online) – Russia has presented its version of events surrounding the downing of Flight MH17, distancing itself from the disaster by saying that a Ukrainian fighter jet  may have been involved.

The US and Ukraine have said pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine had shot down the Malaysian commercial airliner.

US paper the Wall Street Journal reported Russian air force chief Lt. Gen. Igor Makushev as saying in a news conference yesterday that Russian radar had detected a second aircraft in the Malaysia Airlines plane’s vicinity shortly before the crash on Thursday, and that it was probably a Ukrainian fighter plane.

Makushev also reportedly presented satellite imagery showing that Ukraine had shifted missile systems into the area before the crash of the passenger plane that killed all 298 on board.

Russian media reported Russia’s Defence Ministry yesterday as saying at the same news conference that a Ukrainian Su-25 combat jet was detected flying some three to five kilometres from the Boeing 777-200 plane.

“A Ukraine Air Force military jet was detected gaining height, its distance from the Malaysian Boeing was 3 to 5km,” Lt. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Main Operations Directorate of the headquarters of Russia’s military forces, was quoted by Russian news agency RIA Novosti as saying.

“It’s equipped with air-to-air R-60 missiles that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for sure,” he added.

The Russian general also reportedly said that MH17 had crashed within the operating area of the Ukrainian army’s self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air Buk missile systems.

Ukrainian officials have said their own Buk systems were well out of range, the Wall Street Journal reported.

US President Barack Obama said last Friday that the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched from an area controlled by Russia-backed rebels in Ukraine.