Thursday, July 17, 2014

Dear President Putin: please stop shooting down airplanes

Airplane #1

There is no way you can fudge your way past this one. A Ukrainian Su-25 jet fighter was shot down in a dogfight with a Russian Su-29 fighter that had violated Ukraine airspace. This is settled fact.

Airplane #2

Your military shot down a Ukraine transport plane An-26 with a missile that originated from Russian airspace. The press releases I read did not specify if this was from a jet or a ground-based system.

Airplane #3

Your buds have just shot down a civilian passenger Boeing 777,  Malaysian Airlines MH17, with almost 300 lives now lost. Now, look: it was flying at 33,000 feet. This requires a sophisticated military-grade SAM antiaircraft system operated by seasoned military personnel. You cannot pass this off as a bunch of vodka-inspired rebels firing an RPG at a contrail. It was shot down by a Buk ("beech" tree) M1 missile system. It shot down the 777 with an SA-11 SAM, and was seen crossing the border back into Russia that night. 

Airplanes #4 & #5

Two Ukrainian Su-25 fighter planes were shot down by SAMs. They were flying at 17,000 feet, well out of range of shoulder-fired SAMs. So, Vlad, please: no fudging by claiming that they were shot down by MANPADS smuggled in from a source other than Russia.

Please stop.

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