As is often the case in these tragedies the initial information is often sketchy and sometimes even wrong, either as an honest mistake or part of the coverup. And if you are watching an organized event (staged by an Intel service) you can bet there will be a tightly-organized media campaign to follow. In fact, that is one of the first tip offs you look for that it is a political killing.
The earliest clue we had was the quick identifying of the ground missile used without the surrounding information that would normally go with it, like what unit was involved. Kiev ducked that early in the day by stating that none of their units had engaged aircraft. I have noticed they like to give themselves a free pass on whatever is needed. The inference there was that left only the New Republic militias or the Russians to hang it on, which seemed a little to convenient for Kiev.
The Republic militias were not even a consideration as suspects. Their damage from Ukraine planes has been close air support in the recent offensive where shoulder-fired missiles are the queen of the battlefield for air defense. You need a lot of them to spread out in nets to catch planes and helicopters making their runs and exits. They are also very mobile and easier to hide from observation.
Driving around in a big SA-17 Grizzly tracked vehicle, the observation platforms would pick you up, and Kiev would launch an air mission to nail you, as you are a sitting duck in one of those. Plus, a deployed battery (multiple launders and radar) can been seen from a satellite with almost a pair of good binoculars. The rebels quickly confirmed that they had nothing to shoot down high altitude planes, and did not need anything like that either.
When the dust began to settle in the late afternoon, we learned that two such units (batteries) had been deployed, one was in the Southern region of East Ukraine with the other going to Kharkov. It seemed strange that Kiev would be moving a high altitude air defense system deep into rebel territory. If the Russians were to intercede, they would be using close air support combat planes to quickly reduce all of Kiev’s armor in the field to stop their offensive capability and then put up a no fly zone.
And then there was a report that an untrained Ukrainian crew, victims of the military cutbacks, had possibly fired a missile by mistake. The precedent was the last Russian plane, a TU-154 lost in an accidental shoot down ten years ago during Ukraine military maneuvers. But before that news came out around dinner time, Kiev had jumped the gun with their request for US planes and NATO troops to immediately intercede and help Kiev finish off the Republic militias.
Kiev was too quick on the trigger there… a sloppy job. It pointed the finger right at those with the most to gain from false flag tacked onto the rebels directly and the Russian indirectly with the inference they them must have supplied the SA-17 somehow. It seemed a desperate move, so the next question was “why now… and why this”?
We next sought out an updated briefing on Kiev’s latest offensive launched after the phony ceasefire. Poroshenko used it to consolidate his forces for a big assault on the militia front lines with an additional flanking movement to cut off the border crossings to stop supplies and volunteers from flowing over. Neither went well, and the Ukraine army was stopped, with many units chopped up. The militias have had full signals Intel from a friendly party, allowing them to stay ahead of Kiev’s plans for a military solution. Welcome to the modern battlefield.
Putin has played a cool hand, keeping Russian forces out of the fight, but “independents” have been active, to balance out the large numbers of mercenaries that Kiev has brought into the country. The US and NATO do not like that, of course. They feel proxy troops should be their exclusive war on the cheap tool. But East Ukraine has a huge Russian population, so it would be ridiculous to think no serious resistance would be offered.
With NATO confidence lost in the Ukraine military being able to overwhelm the Republic militias, something new had to be done to avoid a stalemate. But the forces of Western aggression have been busy lately. Iraq has gone up in smoke with another Western proxy terror creation, the ISIS, to chop up Iraq to create some mayhem on Iran’s border.
The Israelis latest attack on Gaza is a totally staged event, starting with the three kids being killed as an excuse to destroy the new Palestinian unity government. The ISIS bogeyman is supposed to be planning a world takeover with their tiny force, even getting chosen by Dick Cheney as the NeoCons’ scapegoat of choice for their next nuclear bombing in America. We are told they are even going to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, with the Syrian Army in their rear. The ISIS hoodlums are the new miracle terrorists flying around on magic carpets that can do anything.
The pity and concern we have seen for the Malaysian plane victims, with the assumption that a suitable patsie will be tagged for their deaths, does not extend to the murdered Gazans, where Western capitals have been deathly quiet. Old Intel hands cannot remember this much chaos going on all over, all of it totally orchestrated, with most of the world capitals denying that it is really happening, and all of it obviously part of a much larger plot.
There was more pre-staging around the Ukraine 777 attack. Kiev’s silly charge that the Russians had shot down one of its planes earlier… someone forgot to show the crash photos and proof of location…more sloppiness that mass media seems to always be blind in spotting. And then we hear from the Republic militias that a Polish mobile artillery unit has landed in Odessa, troops and all… a rather major escalation, but one unreported.
A reasonable person, and especially a suspicious one like me, might view all of this as building up to an event to enable NATO to come in for an “emergency” situation. That takes us back to Kiev’s quick call for them to do that in response to the 777 shoot down. Someone, or someones…are mass murderers here. Who could take that risk, and why?
Mr. Putin instructed today to have the Russian side assist in uncovering what really happened to the plane. I suspect he has already been briefed, as Russian Intel is all over Ukraine’s communications. Russia also has their satellite coverage, as does the West. If they want to tell us, they will soon, or they will not. The Republics have offered expedited assistance for on scene outside investigators.
But Putin has given us a hint. The event happened in Ukraine territory. If the political negotiation process had been followed like the Russians have always pushed for, there would have been no fighting and the Malaysian plane passengers would still be alive. And the same goes for the dead Gazans. If the US and Europe had threatened to boycott Israel completely if it does not make a just settlement with the Palestinians, Americans would not have to suffer the sight of our taxes being spent on killing the Palestinians in Gaza.
Someone wants all of this destruction and killing to continue. We are making a list, and checking it twice… who has been naughty, and who’s been nice.
Friday morning update: Russia has confirmed some of our positions above, announcing that their satellites picked up the Ukraine SA-17 battery turning on its radar, something that would have been done to track the 777 prior to firing. They are reminding the West that they will also have launch and impact data plus communications intercepts to back it up. Someone would have had to give the order to fire. We also have the loose end of the air controllers changing the normal flight path to take the 777 over this missile launcher.
So we are left with only two motivations for anyone to take the huge risk to commit this crime. One would be the desperate move to create an excuse for NATO to come in and supply the military muscle for Kiev to complete a decisive military defeat on the Republics.
And then there is only one other possible justification, to take out a very high value target whose elimination would be worth whatever the fallout from it would be. That is all I can say about that right now as we don’t like to get out in front of a story. More will be coming later. We are living in some very dangerous times. Say your prayers, as they will be needed.
Jim W. Dean, managing editor for Veteran Today, producer/host of Heritage TV Atlanta, specially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
