ABSTRACT

A Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, on July 17, 2014, was flying at about 33,000 feet over separatist-held territory in southeastern Ukraine when it broke apart in midair and crashed outside of Hrabove, near Torez in Eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, killing all 298 passengers and crew members. Victims came from ten nations. Almost two-thirds, 193, were Dutch; forty-three were Malaysian; and twenty-eight were Australian. The issues of who was responsible and, if a culpable party could be proven, the appropriate punishment, commanded much political and press attention. While full consensus as to the facts may never be achieved and controversy has persisted, the preponderance of evidence from Western sources appeared at the time of writing to support the contention that MH17 was bought down by a missile fired from a Russian-made BUK under the control of separatist forces and/or Russians who believed they were firing at a Ukrainian military jet. Because Russians and separatists were backed into a defensive position, notwithstanding disturbing questions as to why civilian aircraft were still flying over a war zone in which several planes had been attacked, Western leaders and WMM pressed home their propaganda advantage. The MH17 tragedy contributed towards the demonization of Putin and served to distract public attention from issues of the legitimacy of the February 2014 coup, the West’s intervention, and the intensification of hostilities between nuclear powers.