Europe leaders warn Russia to get crash zone open

[happyslug]

27. Do you know ANYTHING about the border of Russia and the Ukraine?

It is like the border between Ohio and Indiana, one farm up against another, maybe with a fence in between. The area is NOT a river, mountain range or even desert. People on foot, horse, or vehicle can cross almost anywhere on that border, for it is all flat. Thus it is HARD to stop anything moving between the two countries.

Worse, everything you mention can cross that border anywhere on that border. Worse, Russia is NOT the centralized power it was under the Soviet Union, you have a lot more people with the ability to sell, give or bargain away a lot of military equipment. Thus Putin may NOT be able to stop such shipments, even if he wanted to.

That is just the nature of that border and one of the reasons, while the US Radar systems can detect where the Missile was fired from, the US can NOT determine where the actual Missile system came from. Was it from Russia? Was it a Ukrainian Missile, that the Rebels were able to capture? Given the nature of the Ukrainian Army, I have my doubt if the Regular Ukrainian Army is intact. Within a week of the coup you have Video of PARATROOPERS defecting with their Airborne APCs to the rebels. Since that time I have NOT seen video of Rebels armored vehicles, which implies they are keeping them under cover for everyone knows they have them (No one is claiming the rebels have no tanks or APCs).

Spare parts should be a factor, but some of the Weapons the Russian are accused of turning over to the Rebels had been made in the Ukraine before the break up of the Soviet Union. This area of the Ukraine also has the most trade with Russia, as oppose to the Western Ukraine that tends to ship goods to the West.

As to the crash site, Putin will make sure it is open to the international Community, more to show he has no control over the rebels than anything else. Putin wants to show he can ask the rebels to open up the crash site, thus showing the world that he, Putin, have influence with the Rebels, but Putin will also make sure it is the Rebels who open up the crash site, to show that Putin is NOT in charge of the Rebels.

Thus I see Putin doing things to show he is reasonable, and after a few weeks even Putin will agree it was Ukrainian Rebels who shot down this plane, but by then this will be forgotten for no one will be able to show Putin or Russia was involved.