The rebels have removed their #MH17 memorial from their headquarters & left it in the lobby of the Malaysians' hotel. pic.twitter.com/wDPAoGuVse
— max seddon (@maxseddon) July 22, 2014
Our news desk has issued this item on the upcoming EU meeting today and the possibility of further sanctions against Russia:
European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss further sanctions on Russia after the downing of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine.
U.S. and EU officials say there is increasing evidence the plane was shot down by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 people aboard.
The UN Security Council has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the downing of the plane and demanded full access to the crash site for international investigators.
The separatists handed over to Malaysian officials the black box flight recorders on July 21 -- after previously hindering international observers from accessing the crash site.
Separatists who control the area also agreed to allow the remains of the passengers to head toward Kharkiv by train.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbout says evidence at the crash site has been tampered with "on an industrial scale" as part of an apparent cover up.
(Reuters, AFP)
Dutch prosecutors have opened an investigation into #MH17 on suspicion of murder, war crimes and intentionally downing an airliner,
— Just Hovens Greve (@JustHovensGreve) July 22, 2014
Even if you don't speak Russian, worth watching this video of Zhirinovsky war-mongering in the Duma: http://t.co/UcIaxphsMH
— Robert Coalson (@CoalsonR) July 22, 2014
Train carrying #MH17 victims arrived in #Kharkiv - Interfax
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) July 22, 2014
Some more fallout from the volatile situation in eastern Ukraine: According to the BBC, six foreign soccer players from Shaktar Donetsk have failed to turn up for duty:
Six Shakhtar Donetsk players refused to return to the city following Saturday's friendly in France because of concerns over the conflict in Ukraine.
Donetsk is currently controlled by pro-Russian rebels, with the Ukrainian army attempting to regain control.
Alex Teixeira, Fred, Dentinho, Douglas Costa, Facundo Ferreyra and Ismaily did not fly back after the game in Lyon.
Club president Rinat Akhmetov has warned that the players may face sanctions if they do not return.
Read the entire article here
So, the train with many of the bodies of victims of MH17 has finally arrived in Kharkiv (from RFE/RL's news desk):
A train carrying the remains of victims of a Malaysian airliner downed over separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine has arrived in the city of Kharkiv.
The refrigerated train cars carrying the remains of some 280 people made it before noon on July 22 in Kharkiv -- which is controlled by the Ukrainian government.
A total of 298 people from a dozen nations died when the plane was downed on July 17.
Ukrainian and Western officials say there is mounting evidence the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.
From Kharkiv, the bodies will be sent to Amsterdam where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 originated.
The majority of the victims were Dutch.
The separatists hindered access to the crash site for days before agreeing on July 21 to allow the bodies to leave and handing over the black box data-flight recorders.
(Reuters, Interfax)
Smell of rotting corpses v bad at crash site. OSCE now carrying out observation #MH17
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) July 22, 2014
Here's a video -- broadcast by RT -- which claims that Russia detected a Ukrainian fighter jet near MH17 shortly before it was downed:
As RFE/RL's news desk reports, Dalia Grybauskaite has been weighing in on France's sale of Mistral warships to Russia:
Lithuania’s president has criticized a French deal to sell warships to Russia, saying it shows the European Union compromising its values in order to protect trade ties with Moscow.
Dalia Grybauskaite made the comments in Vilnius today as EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to decide whether to increase sanctions on Russia over the Malaysian plane disaster.
Britain is calling for tougher measures against Moscow.
France and Germany, who each have crucial trade ties to Russia, are more reluctant.
Grybauskaite described that reluctance as "the Mistralization of European policy" -- referring to France's $1.6 billion deal to supply Russia with the two French Mistral warships.
Grybauskaite said selling military technology to Russia "under current circumstances cannot be tolerated."
She also warned that "indecisive" EU policy would mean "a direct invitation for the aggressor to be more aggressive."
(AFP, France 24)