A Malaysian plane has been shot down in the Ukraine.

[WeAreEternal]

The flight mh17 from Amsterdam to kuala lumpor with 295 people on board, it was a boing 777.
It was shot down with a buk ground to air missile.
They say there are no survivors.

It's awful.

Claig

Firstly, I'm guessing the Ukrainian government might have some control over the Ukrainian armed forces. Secondly, why would anyone in the Ukraine think shooting Putin down was a good plan? The only outcome would be a complete withdrawal of international support, a Russian invasion and the end of Ukraine as an independent entity. I'm unclear as to how that's in Ukraine's interests. The shooting-at-Putin stuff is tin foil hat territory frankly.

Yes I don't think the flight recorder should be going anywhere near Russia at this point.

I'm upset by this more than a lot of other disasters on the news

I used to live in Holland and I and family have flow in and out of Schiphol many times, so it feels very personal (slightly irrational I know!).

somewherewest, the coup was backed by the EU etc. You are right that Ukraine on its own would be destroyed by Russia if Ukraine was on its own. But it is not on its own and is being used as a proxy. Ukraine will not do anything without asking first.

There will be absolutey no withdrawal of support of Ukraine ever. It is Russia who will be blamed and support will be withdrawn from it as the strategy of tension escalates, just as it does simulateneously in Syria, Iraq and all over the Middle East.

Ah, this is one of those how-the-evil-Americans-are-really-to-blame-for-everything-bad-since-the-dawn-of-time arguments isn't it? [ducks out of tin foil hat land].

Yes I think that's it. I've done a lot of travelling , some out of Amsterdam, some to Kuala Lumpur. This sort of thing just would never ever in a million years cross your mind as a risk.

Not tin foil hat stuff, somewhere: it's "I'm the victim" stuff.

Like someone caught with their pants down telling everyone the betrayed partner was the one having the affair.

Agree, that flight recorder shouldn't be going anywhere near Russia at the moment. Joint team including Russian reps to investigate, please. So no one gets to cry Foul at the end.

Sorry I had to cook dinner and put DS to bed.

It's so horrific, I can't believe some of the pictures that they are showing on the news.

Oh god, this is just awful, really really awful, I feel terrible for the families of the people who died today but I also feel deep concern for world peace, I fear this may be a date that marks the beginning of the end of the world.

No graphic images on the news here in Sweden thankfully, the image that really brought it home to me was an image of a lonely planet guide to Bali, I have 2 young relatives who are traveling/volunteering abroad at the moment, it really could have easily been any of us or people we love.

Malaysian airlines are holing a press conference at 9pm.

Just spotted this and came to see if there was a thread.
I feel dread

I still just don't get why the plane was there, given that it's apparently closed air space. What am I missing?

Here - Russian site (in English) - it's quite clear that the airspace was/is closed

According to bbc, not closed airspace

Sorry, x-posted somewhere. I'm talking about RT's claim re shooting-at-Putin.

It does seem more and more likely that separatists were waiting with their missile truck expecting a Ukrainian military cargo plane, they were maybe expecting one around the same time in the same path.
They are sitting there with their radar, see a big plane coming that looks the right size and assumed it was the one they were expecting and shot it down.
They then bragged about it but when they realised their mistake they are now trying to cover their backs.

Alternatives it it was something more sinister that would make a damn good and believable cover story!

Hassled from what I understand European and US run airlines had been advised to avoid the area but Malaysian Airlines obviously doesn't fall under either of those.

Its not closed airspace, its (apparently) the most common route from europe to se asia.

If airlines are only announcing today (as they just have) that they'll be avoiding that airspace, then it can't have been closed before.

Who controls that airspace? Was air traffic control in touch with the plane as it flew over that airspace? Let''s hope the black box will give us info on why it was flying over that airspace, particularly since some Ukrainian planes have been recently shot down in that airspace.

They have said on several news stations that the area the plane was in was not the restricted part, it is supposedly the 'safe' path.

Surely misidentification cant be an excuse nowerdays though? My ipad could tell me which flight number/destination/etc a plane is, never mind what someone wanting to shoot down a plane could have access to!

'It does seem more and more likely that separatists were waiting with their missile truck expecting a Ukrainian military cargo plane, they were maybe expecting one around the same time in the same path. '

Unlike the other planes that the rebels had shot down, this plane was flying at 33,000 feet and they don't have missiles capable of reaching that height. Only the Ukrainian and Russian military have those missiles.

I think it has to be the Russian seperatists. Why else would they delete the bragging comments earlier about shooting down a Ukrainian cargo plane?

Interesting article here:

www.newrepublic.com/article/118742/ukraine-russian-rebels-malaysian-airlines-plane