Ukraine fighter jet near Malaysian plane before crash, says Moscow
A man wearing military fatigues stands next to the wreckage of a Malaysian Airlines plane carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur after it crashed near the town of Shaktarsk in rebel-held east Ukraine on July 17, 2014. Russia said on July 21, 2014 its flight records show a Ukrainian fighter jet was flying close to the Malaysian passenger airliner just before it crashed. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Moscow also denied supplying Ukrainian separatists with Buk missile systems or any other weapons, as it sought to head off international accusations it was responsible for the downing of the Malaysian plane with 298 people on board.
- Lieutenant-General Andrei Kartopolov said the Malaysian plane strayed north of its planned route, adding that a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter jet, which is typically equipped with air-to-air missiles, had been recorded in the proximity of the Boeing 777.
MOSCOW
Russia Monday said its flight records show a Ukrainian fighter jet was flying close to the Malaysian passenger airliner just before it crashed and that Kiev was operating radar stations used for missile systems.
Moscow also denied supplying Ukrainian separatists with Buk missile systems or any other weapons, as it sought to head off international accusations it was responsible for the downing of the Malaysian plane with 298 people on board.
Armed with a number of slides, charts and images, two high-ranking officials of Russia’s General Staff laid out a case against Ukraine at a specially called briefing.
Lieutenant-General Andrei Kartopolov said the Malaysian plane strayed north of its planned route, adding that a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter jet, which is typically equipped with air-to-air missiles, had been recorded in the proximity of the Boeing 777.
The Malaysian plane “deviated from its route to the North ... The maximum deviation was 14 kilometres,” he said.
“An altitude gain was recorded for a Ukrainian armed forces plane,” he told the briefing. “Its distance from the Malaysian Boeing was three to five kilometres ,” he said, noting that the SU-25 is capable of reaching a height of 10,000 metres “for a brief time.”
