In a commentary on its official website, the Russian Foreign Ministry accuses the U.S. administration of organizing a "relentless campaign of slander against Russia" fed by "outright lies." It vows that "we will survive this," but adds that Washington and Kyiv are contributing to the "forced suppression of discontent on the part of [Ukraine's] Russian-speaking population."
It goes on to say "the Obama administration bears responsibilities for the internal conflict in Ukraine and its severe consequences."
Dutch and Australian police and security forces are still preparing for deployment to the MH17 impact area, where blasts are still ringing out from fighting dozens of kilometers away despite a cease-fire called for the immediate area.
All of the remains of MH17 victims that had been transported to Kharkiv have now departed, says AP:
Two cargo planes have flown 38 more coffins carrying victims of the Malaysia Airlines disaster out of eastern Ukraine to a forensic center in the Netherlands for identification and investigation.
The planes took off Saturday from Kharkiv, a government-controlled city where the bodies have been brought from the crash site in territory held by pro-Russian separatists fighting the Ukrainian government. U.S. and Ukrainian officials say the plane was shot down by a missile from rebel territory, likely by mistake.
Officials said the flights took the last of the victims that have been brought to Kharkiv. International observers have said there are still remains at the crash site. Access has been limited due to rebel interference and security concerns.
Re-upping this @CoalsonR piece aimed at getting to the bottom of some of the claims and counterclaims surrounding MH17.
Untangling the countless he said/she said disputes in the Ukraine crisis under conditions of an intense and coordinated disinformation campaign is hard enough. But it is even harder in the Internet age when information appears and disappears and reappears with the frustrating randomness of whack-a-mole.
But today @CoalsonR is hopping mad at a certain ex-president. :-)
Uff. From AP:
The parents of a woman who died on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 travelled from Perth, Australia to honor their daughter at the crash site in eastern Ukraine.
Jerzy Dyczynski and Angela Rudhart-Dyczynski, parents of 25-year-old Fatima, crossed territory held by pro-Russian rebels to reach the wreckage-strewn farm fields outside the village of Hrabove.
They last spoke to Fatima shortly before she boarded the flight for Kuala Lumpur in Amsterdam on July 17.
Rudhart-Dyczynski said, "We have promised our daughter we will come here."
Her husband added that his daughter "was for peace. She will be forever for peace."
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has suggested that "it is difficult to foresee any circumstance under which Mr. Putin's Russia could be readmitted to the family of G7 nations."
Reuters highlights the remarks, delivered in a "Globe and Mail" editorial titled "Our duty is to stand firm in the face of Russian aggression." Harper writes that "through its actions, Russia under President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated that it does not share the values of this community of nations, dedicated as we are to democracy, international security, and the rule of law."
As if to underline what some critics regard as a weak-kneed European response to Russia's recent actions in Ukraine, Harper writes:
The steps Canada has taken have not been made without careful consideration of their potential impact on Canadian business interests abroad and at home. Like our allies, we will put our national interests first, but we will not allow business interests alone to dictate our foreign policy. With Mr. Putin’s Russia increasingly autocratic at home and dangerously aggressive abroad, now is not the time to ease the diplomatic and economic pressure on the regime. Sustained, strong and co-ordinated action among like-minded countries is the best way to ensure that our actions have the maximum impact on the Putin regime.