United States Assessment of the Downing of Flight MH17 and its Aftermath

[happyslug]

57. Who said Russia gave them these missiles? They are also used by the Ukrainian Army

Given what looks like the break up of the Ukrainian Army that started BEFORE the coup (I suspect the coup succeeded for the Ukrainian Army was split so badly that it could NOT be used to suppress the protesters, thus the Army could NOT stop the coup). The problem is the split within the Army that prevented the Ukrainian Army putting down the Coup also prevents it from putting down the rebels in the Eastern Ukraine. When an Ukrainian Airborne unit took its Airborne Armored Personal Carriers to Rebels lines, that shows how split the army was. I suspect the formation of the Ukrainian National Guard was do to the break up of most Regular Ukrainian Army Units. Most stayed loyal to the Government, but how united they are in putting down the rebels is an open question. It could be the regular army units just are NOT capable of putting down the rebels do to a split within the ranks (to many want to defect to the Rebels for the Ukrainian Government to risk sending them into combat).

Thus it is possible that the missile system was Ukrainian to begin with, but in the hands of rebels. If that the case Russia made no mistake, Russia never gave them the missiles. Given the sophisticated nature of that weapons system, I do NOT see the Russian giving them any, thus I suspect it is a captured or turned over to the rebels missiles system, but of Ukrainian origin not Russian. I concede I may be wrong, but given the situation in the Ukraine anything is possible right now.