Malaysian Airliner, Skripal Poisoning, Damascus Gassing...Western Media Goes All In Blaming Russia
The international media is once again bringing up the Malaysian Boeing which was shot down in Ukraine in June 2014. The investigation conducted by a group of people from different countries, excluding Russia, has not finished yet. However, the West has a strange habit: Whenever something horrible happens, before any details become clear, they announce that Moscow is the one to blame. They impose sanctions; then it gets to the point where the details aren't important anymore since someone has already been punished. We've seen it before: Fake news on Syrian chemical weapons, the Skripal case in England... The pattern remains the same.
They're now doing the same with the Malaysian Boeing story. Allegedly, the Buk missile that was used to shoot down the civil airliner, with 300 people on board, originated from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian Armed Forces. The brigade is based in Kursk. This piece of fake news was introduced at a special briefing by Wilbert Paulsen, head of the Central Criminal Investigation Department of the Netherlands' national police. The investigation results were described as "provisional" or "preliminary." However, Paulsen suggested that everyone who agrees with the results should speak up.
Naturally, Russia’s Defense Ministry rejected all the accusations, saying that not a single Russian air-defense system Buk missile had ever crossed the Ukrainian border. Technically, it never happened. The Defense Ministry also pointed out that all the accusations are based solely on the use of social networks, while all the hard evidence provided by the Russian government has been completely ignored. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed the same opinion.
As early as Friday, Russian President Putin made a comment on the matter at a plenary forum session in Saint Petersburg:
Vladimir Putin: Unfortunately, we're barred from the probe. That's why we have no grounds to rely on the results of this probe. We haven't had a chance to participate in it. And the arguments we offer to be reckoned with in the course of the investigation are rejected by the respective commission. The fact that Ukraine failed to observe its obligations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) by closing its airspace over a territory where a combat operation was taking place, is a fact no one ever talks about it, for some reason. Unfortunately, there have also been other tragic incidents linked with Ukraine. Years ago, they shot down a Russian plane flying over the Black Sea on its way from Israel. They refused to admit their guilt. Eventually, they owned up to it but never paid any compensation.
- Are you saying that this was not a Russian Army missile?
Vladimir Putin: Of course not. Definitely not. I'd like to repeat: there are several theories, including one that says that the missile was fired by a Ukrainian plane. Let me repeat myself again: We can't accept these or any other results of the investigation unless we get to participate in it.
At the same time, Ukraine is a big part of this inadequate investigation. The current Ukrainian government, which came to power over four years ago as a result of a bloody coup, accuses Russia of everything possible by default.
Last Thursday, the following was published on the official website of President Poroshenko: "Sanctions are now being applied to the international news agency Russia Today. Its assets shall be frozen; its websites blocked".
According to the publication, these sanctions also apply to the RIA Novosti Ukraine news portal, россиясегодня.рф, sputniknews.com, Ria.ru, rsport.ria.ru, 1prime.ru, and realty.ria.ru. We are talking about an archaic form of censorship here. Archaic, because censorship is actually a term originating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Back then, you could destroy lead galley proofs or, let's say, take Lenin's Iskra out of circulation, thus, creating a closed media environment within a specific territory.
Nowadays, such a strategy would be naive and shameful. If the instigator and coup sponsor that allowed him to take the president's seat were unable to get the country's economic development under control or accept Ukraine's new democratic standards, then there's really nothing Poroshenko would be able to do other than encourage the elimination of journalists, be it with bullets, explosives, deportation or detention.
Let me remind you that on May 15th, Kirill Vyshinsky, the Editor-in-Chief of the RIA Novosti Ukraine news portal, was arrested. He's now being held behind bars in Kherson. Anyone would agree that this kind of treatment is something short of torture, given that Kirill's health issues require continuous monitoring. Since Vyshinsky possesses two passports, a Ukrainian and Russian one, as a Ukrainian citizen, he's being accused of treason. However ridiculous this may sound, he's facing 15 years in prison along with asset forfeiture. Last Thursday, Vasyl Hrytsak, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, made a statement during his visit to the Netherlands. He demanded that Vyshinsky be traded for Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian citizen. However, there's one problem. Sentsov has been sentenced to spend 20 years in a Russian prison for organizing a terror attack in Crimea. Unlike him, Vyshinsky didn't do anything wrong. He just happens to be a journalist. However, to Kiev, he's a threat. Kirill himself sees the situation the same way. He confirmed this by providing answers to a list of RT staff's questions in written form. The list of questions was given to him by his lawyer.
"The documents that the prosecution is relying on consists of articles, some of which are interviews where people express various views, and some of them are simply quotations of open-minded experts' opinions. There's also a number of articles marked as 'opinion piece' or 'think piece.' We have never engaged in propaganda, we are engaged in journalism."
Apparently, professional journalism is not something Poroshenko wants to see in his country. Judging by the latest developments at the Donbass contact line, all he wants is war and excuses to continue the war.
Meanwhile, Donbass enjoys a much healthier atmosphere. For instance, here's some footage of Oleg Gazmanov's concert, which was recently held in Lugansk. Among others, a song called "Officers" was played. The singer invited LPR servicemen to sing along on stage. However, the 40,000 people who gathered in front of the stage sang along as well. Now that's the spirit!