Ukrainians report sightings of missile launcher on day of MH17 crash

In Torez, some say missile's journey through town has been a hot topic but people are scared of talking to outsiders

Claims by pro-Russia separatists in east Ukraine that they have never been in possession of the missile launcher apparently used to down flight MH17 are looking increasingly flimsy, as several witnesses told the Guardian they had seen what appeared to be a Buk missile launcher in the vicinity of the crash site last Thursday.

The sightings back up a number of photographs and videos posted online that put the Buk system close to the crash site on the day of the disaster. Just before lunchtime last Thursday, prior to the Malaysia Airlines plane's takeoff, a Buk was driven through Gagarin Street, one of the central thoroughfares of Torez, witnesses said.

The tarmac on Gagarin Street is strewn with ruts made by tank treads, and locals say armoured vehicles controlled by separatists driving through the town have become a regular occurrence in recent weeks. The convoy last Thursday was different, however.

"We were inside and heard a noise much louder than usual," said one shopkeeper, who did not want to be identified.

"We came running out and saw a jeep disappearing into the distance with something much larger in front of it. Later, customers said it had been a missile carrier."

In another shop further down the street, there was talk of a convoy of two jeeps and a missile launcher covered in a net driving past in the direction of the town of Snizhne.

"I've never seen anything like it," said a middle-aged woman. She said her husband showed her a photograph of a Buk launcher afterwards and she realised that was indeed what she had seen. A group of men also said they had seen a Buk....

According to defense analyst Reed Foster, the contour of the aluminium and the blistering of the paint around many of the holes on the aircraft fragments indicate that small pieces of high-velocity shrapnel entered the aircraft externally, a damage pattern indicative of a SA-11.[130]

Concurring with that, ballistics specialist Stephan Fruhling added that a large hole in one of the aircraft fragments was caused by a massive blast of escaping pressure from holes inflicted by hot shrapnel from a SA-11 warhead.[131]

On 19 July, Vitaly Nayda, the chief of the Counter Intelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), told a news conference: “We have compelling evidence that this terrorist act was committed with the help of the Russian Federation. We know clearly that the crew of this system were Russian citizens.”[133][134][135]

He cited what he said were recorded conversations in which separatists expressed satisfaction to Russian intelligence agents that they brought down an aeroplane.[136]

The US government said that measurement and signature intelligence satellites of the Infrared Space Systems Directorate and the Defense Support Program detected the infrared signature of the missile strike upon flight MH17.[140][141]

The US government said that analysis of the launch plume and trajectory suggested the missile was fired from an area between Torez and Snizhne.[62]

These satellites are also likely to have registered the heat signature of the launch of the missile, and the activation of the missile launcher tracking radar.[142]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_17#cite_note-18

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