The Russian military supplied the missile system that pro-Moscow separatists used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, a Dutch-led investigative report has confirmed. Based on mobile phone data and witness testimony, the joint report completed by a team of presecuters from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukrain details with new accuracy the deployment of a Russian Buk, or SA-11, surface-to-air missile system over the Ukraine border, its return to Russian territory that same night, and the Russian role in covering up the activities, the New York Times reported. Investigators identified the location from which the missile was fired, eight miles from the crash site where 298 passengers died e?n route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. The report does not name specific Russian personnel involved, and it does not conclude who gave the order for the missile launch.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.