Ukraine rebel commander acknowledges fighters had BUK missile - Polidicks

[img]http://imgkk.com/i/gymc.jpg[/img] [url]http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/23/uk-ukraine-crisis-commander-exclusive-idUKKBN0FS1W620140723[/url] [quote]A powerful Ukrainian rebel leader has confirmed that pro-Russian separatists had an anti-aircraft missile of the type Washington says was used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and it could have originated in Russia. In an interview with Reuters, Alexander Khodakovsky, commander of the Vostok Battalion, acknowledged for the first time since the airliner was brought down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday that the rebels did possess the BUK missile system and said it could have been sent back subsequently to remove proof of its presence. Before the Malaysian plane was shot down, rebels had boasted of obtaining the BUK missiles, which can shoot down airliners at cruising height. But since the disaster the separatists' main group, the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, has repeatedly denied ever having possessed such weapons. ... "I knew that a BUK came from Luhansk. At the time I was told that a BUK from Luhansk was coming under the flag of the LNR," he said, referring to the Luhansk People’s Republic, the main rebel group operating in Luhansk, one of two rebel provinces along with Donetsk, the province where the crash took place. "That BUK I know about. I heard about it. I think they sent it back. Because I found out about it at exactly the moment that I found out that this tragedy had taken place. They probably sent it back in order to remove proof of its presence," Khodakovsky told Reuters on Tuesday. "The question is this: Ukraine received timely evidence that the volunteers have this technology, through the fault of Russia. It not only did nothing to protect security, but provoked the use of this type of weapon against a plane that was flying with peaceful civilians," he said. "They knew that this BUK existed; that the BUK was heading for Snezhnoye," he said, referring to a village 10 km (six miles) west of the crash site. "They knew that it would be deployed there, and provoked the use of this BUK by starting an air strike on a target they didn’t need, that their planes hadn’t touched for a week." "And that day, they were intensively flying, and exactly at the moment of the shooting, at the moment the civilian plane flew overhead, they launched air strikes. Even if there was a BUK, and even if the BUK was used, Ukraine did everything to ensure that a civilian aircraft was shot down."[/quote]

There's an Everest of evidence at this point which says they did it. Thanks for contributing, Mr. Khodakovsky.

karimatrix incoming

we kinda had an article about this yesterday. [url]http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1411819[/url]

[QUOTE=dum6azz;45486067]karimatrix incoming[/QUOTE] god damn it i just literally thought that

Interesting interview they have there... Reuters released the audio, [url=http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-separatists-had-buk-missiles/25468009.html]here it is[/url], "Radio Liberty". You can listen to it if you want. Here's the same thing with transcript, for Russian-speakers: [url=http://www.svoboda.org/content/article/25468682.html]click[/url]. These quotes: [quote]"I knew that a BUK came from Luhansk. At the time I was told that a BUK from Luhansk was coming under the flag of the LNR," he said, referring to the Luhansk People’s Republic, the main rebel group operating in Luhansk, one of two rebel provinces along with Donetsk, the province where the crash took place. "That BUK I know about. I heard about it. I think they sent it back. Because I found out about it at exactly the moment that I found out that this tragedy had taken place. They probably sent it back in order to remove proof of its presence," Khodakovsky told Reuters on Tuesday. "The question is this: Ukraine received timely evidence that the volunteers have this technology, through the fault of Russia. It not only did nothing to protect security, but provoked the use of this type of weapon against a plane that was flying with peaceful civilians," he said[/quote] come from the first part of the interview, before 0:57 mark. These: [quote]"They knew that this BUK existed; that the BUK was heading for Snezhnoye," he said, referring to a village 10 km (six miles) west of the crash site. "They knew that it would be deployed there, and provoked the use of this BUK by starting an air strike on a target they didn’t need, that their planes hadn’t touched for a week." "And that day, they were intensively flying, and exactly at the moment of the shooting, at the moment the civilian plane flew overhead, they launched air strikes. Even if there was a BUK, and even if the BUK was used, Ukraine did everything to ensure that a civilian aircraft was shot down."[/quote] come aright after that. The voice seems different, but the environment changed so that's no problem. What bugs me, is that from that point on the guy being interviewed [b]suddenly[/b] develops noticeable Ukrainian accent that he hadn't had before. Just an observation, can someone (Ukrainian, preferably) confirm or deny? [editline]24th July 2014[/editline] Yeah, kari's absent for now, so I'll be taking the shift.

I wonder why russians write in [b]this[/b] or THIS style.

[QUOTE=gudman;45486336] Yeah, kari's absent for now, so I'll be taking the shift.[/QUOTE] Best of luck poster. It would have been best for the rebels to admit it straight off. Beating around the bush denying it did nobody any favours.

[quote=article]And that day, they were intensively flying, and exactly at the moment of the shooting, at the moment the civilian plane flew overhead, they launched air strikes. Even if there was a BUK, and even if the BUK was used, Ukraine did everything to ensure that a civilian aircraft was shot down[/quote] this is like saying "rabid dogs have been attacking me all day, so when a harmless cat walked past i instinctively killed it because they look somewhat similar. this isn't my fault at all - it is the fault of the dogs for attacking me"

[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;45486379]this is like saying "rabid dogs have been attacking me all day, so when a harmless cat walked past i instinctively killed it because they look somewhat similar. this isn't my fault at all - it is the fault of the dogs for attacking me"[/QUOTE] If what is said is true, that indeed has to have some attention. It's weird coincidence that Ukrainian airforce all of a sudden increased their presence and activity the day three passenger planes were on the way, and then denied any and all their jets ever took off that day. That doesn't clear rebels/terrorists/what have you from blame, but that's interesting by itself.