Support NeoGAF

[CoolOff]

This is an AN-26

That doesn't look like a fucking civilian airline.

If it's 10km up it would impossible to determine.

Spoiler

Which of course means you don't fucking fire at it.

 

[jimi_dini]

I would take any news coming from Ukrainian or Russian sources with a grain of salt unless internationally corroborated.

fixed

 

[Maninthemirror]

BBC is reporting it was shot down...

"Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the plane had been hit by a missile at an altitude of 10,000m (33,000ft)."

Its still qouting an official both sides of which are on the edge. I would wait for evidence it was shot down first.

 

[Biff]

Reuters reporting shot down by a Buk anti air missile.

According to wiki, max range is 22km. 10km is a cake walk.

 

[Nikodemos]

I don't know, but I remember at one time there was discussion of adding counter-measures to commercial aircraft for added protection, but the probability of such a scenario was too low compared to the costs so it was not implemented.

It could have saved a few lives today

The Israelis will install SAM countermeasures on El-Al planes.

 

[Spineker]

Holy shit, terrible year for Malaysian Airlines. Shit is gonna hit the fan over this.

 

[outunderthestars]

This is an AN-26

That doesn't look like a fucking civilian airline.

I doubt whoever fired the missle was that close to the plane as it was flying at 32,000 feet.


Edit: beaten

 

[hitgirl]

CHrist, anyone got a link to live news? This is terrible.

 

[LiK]

Let's see how they explain this. Those fuckers

 

[Falk]

fixed

Touche.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Didn't the US announce expanded sanctions against Russia today?

 

[Liha]

The missile can be launched from somewhere else.

The distance from Kremenchuk to Donetsk is 400 km.

 

[J-Roderton]

How do we know it was a missile?

 

[TheContact]

nvm old video

 

[Alucrid]

Its still qouting an official both sides of which are on the edge. I would wait for evidence it was shot down first.

Well one side is saying the other shot down a plane, the other side is saying that they did shoot down a plane

 

[NihonTiger90]

If it's 10km up it would impossible to determine.

Spoiler

Which of course means you don't fucking fire at it.

Which makes me think that the rebels in Donetsk region - who likely don't have any sort of ATC infrastructure set-up and are probably watching the skies visually - could have made that mistake, but we won't know that right now.

 

[Mr.Awesome]

Even rebels are morons for doing this. You certainly risk losing Russian support after all the political pressure that will be put onto them

 

[sangreal]

Shit, there's a video out there of the plane on fire going down, right engine on fire
#nowimdepressed

link?

 

[SniperHunter]

Shit, there's a video out there of the plane on fire going down, right engine on fire
#nowimdepressed

post the link here

 

[D4Danger]

Damn... my country and our citizen's are in for another round of shock. Why does something so tragic of this scale happens 2 time in a year. This is what happens when you arm rebels and extremists that have no intention of spreading peace and instead achieving their objectives through mindless force and violence and are trigger happy...

You'd need some serious equipment to do this though. There's no way it's just some guy on the ground.

Al-Qaeda tried something something similar years ago where they tried firing missiles at planes taking off but it failed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/03/w...ence-possibly-ties-al-qaeda-attack-kenya.html

 

[HI. BILLY MAYS HERE]

Reuters reporting shot down by a Buk anti air missile.

According to wiki, max range is 22km. 10km is a cake walk.

Holy fucking shit that's like 72,000+ feet

It's amazing you can hit someone moving that high up.

 

[Raistlin]

Well, damn. My guess is, the Donetsk separatists fucked it up and can't hope for any russian help now if Ukraine attacks their shithole of a city. But that's just a wild guess.

Doesn't matter, Russia is culpable.

They've been funding and arming them :\

 

[Rad-]

I have a flight in few weeks that's going to fly over Ukraine. :/

 

[Rockyrock]

WWIII imminent

 

[Volimar]

Didn't the US announce expanded sanctions against Russia today?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/16/politics/ukraine-russia-sanctions/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

Russia has failed to take steps to end the Ukraine conflict, President Barack Obama said Wednesday in announcing expanded sanctions targeting two banks, two energy companies, Ukraine separatists and defense companies.

European Union leaders also said they intended to increase sanctions, signaling growing Western concern over Russia's continued support for separatists battling the Ukrainian military in the country's eastern region.

"We have to see concrete actions, and not just words that Russia in fact is committed to trying to end this conflict along the Russia-Ukraine border," Obama told reporters at the White House.
Lithuania: Sanctions invite Putin aggression
New sanctions on Russia over Ukraine
Crisis in Ukraine: Key players Crisis in Ukraine: Key players

With the new sanctions, "what we are expecting is that the Russian leadership will see once again that its actions in Ukraine have consequences, including a weakening economy, and increasing diplomatic isolation," the President said.

His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, warned that the sanctions were harming ties between the two nations.

"They generally have a boomerang effect and, without a doubt, in this case, are driving the Russian-U.S. relations into a stalemate and seriously damaging them," he said, according to a Kremlin transcript of his remarks to reporters on a visit to Brazil.

"I am certain that this is harmful to the U.S. Administration and American people's long-term strategic national interests."

He accused the United States of pushing the Ukrainian authorities toward a continued conflict, whereas Russia wants to see an immediate end to hostilities and a negotiated solution involving all sides, he said.

Ukrainian President: Peace depends on Putin's mood

The latest U.S. sanctions build on earlier steps by targeting two major Russian banks -- Gazprom Bank and VEB -- and two energy companies -- Novotek and Rosneft.

They will not be able to get new medium- and long-term financing in the United States, senior administration officials told reporters in a conference call.

In addition, the new sanctions freeze any U.S. assets and prohibit American business contacts for eight Russian arms companies that make weapons, including small arms, mortars and surface-to-air missiles. One of the eight is the Kalashnikov Concern, maker of the AK-47 and other arms.

Also on the list: Four Russian government officials, including the minister of Crimean affairs, along with the self-styled Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic leading the separatist campaign in eastern Ukraine, and Aleksandr Borodai, the self-declared "prime minister" of the Donetsk group.

Targeting the separatist groups that simulate government structures prevents them from seeking financing, the senior administration officials noted.

Earlier this year, the United States and Europe imposed a range of sanctions in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea this spring and massing of troops along its eastern border with Ukraine. The earlier sanctions included asset freezes and travel bans.

19 Ukrainian troops killed in rocket attack, military says

Russia and Ukraine have since been engaged in a tense standoff, including clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"I've repeatedly made it clear that Russia must halt the flow of weapons and fighters across the border into Ukraine, that Russia must urge separatists to release their hostages and support a cease-fire, that Russia needs to pursue internationally-mediated talks, and agree to meaningful monitors on the border," Obama said.

Russia has failed to do any of those steps, he added.

Ukraine's government in Kiev has accused Russia of allowing weapons and military equipment, including tanks, to cross the border illegally into the hands of pro-Russian separatists.

The senior administration officials who briefed reporters also leveled the same accusation.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Wednesday Russia now had 12,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, as well as some heavy weapons. The troop numbers had fallen to about 1,000 previously from a high of an estimated 40,000 forces earlier this year.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

This will be it. International intervention happens. Once you start shooting civilian airlines down it affects the international community now.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Damn that's pretty horrible.

Hope there are at least some survivors....

But doesn't look good. Especially if it was shot out of the sky.

 

[Arjen]

Goddamnit

 

[Morat]

We'll see, but it does sound likely someone shot this down. It's not like airliners are likely to have missile defense systems

 

[DSN2K]

this has Russian fuck up all over it. Mobile sam units aren't easy to work.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Incredibly tragic.

And no silly boys, a commercial passenger jet has neither the agility nor the countermeasures to dodge a modern SAM. Come now, friends. This isn't the movies. If this was Air Force One, it'd be a little different....but this was not Air Force One.

I'd half expect a pilot seeing some sort of missile warning to think his equipment was malfunctioning.

this has Russian fuck up all over it. Mobile sam units aren't easy to work.

The rebels ARE soldiers. They're not random people who've picked up guns. I expect them to know how to operate and equipment they have access to.

 

[CrankyJay]

Holy fucking shit that's like 72,000+ feet

It's amazing you can hit someone moving that high up.

Get a radar lock or heat signature and you can hit anything.

 

[BAW]

I have a flight in few weeks that's going to fly over Ukraine. :/

Uhhhh don't do that dude

 

[statham]

Damn that's pretty horrible.

Hope there are at least some survivors....

But doesn't look good. Especially if it was shot out of the sky.

I saw a tweet that said all are dead.

 

[Interfectum]

This will be it. International intervention happens. Once you start shooting civilian airlines down it affects the international community now.

Yup. This is where things will start getting scary.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

WWIII imminent

No.

But if western citizens are on board shit is about to get interesting.

Thoughts go out to all those families.

 

[TheContact]

link?

post the link here

sorry was a repost someone tried to pass off as this, looked like a boeing though

 

[Portugeezer]

Strelkov is bragging about it, thinking they shot down Ukrainian AN-26:

This is what happens if you send Buk rocket systems to terrorists.... Happy now, Russia?

That is fucked up.

 

[Spineker]

This will be it. International intervention happens. Once you start shooting civilian airlines down it affects the international community now.

Yep, shit is about to get very real. The blame game between the rebels and government forces is going to be huge.

 

[soundahfekz]

You're right, my bad for assuming they had the airspace on lockdown. Judging from that picture of where it went missing, seems there are few restrictions for commercial aircraft.

Is there an airspace restriction for how high they are flying? There must be a reason for this plane to have been shot down and not any others

The reason (at least thus far) is Rogue Russian forces operating in Ukraine utilizing weapons they have no business having. It seems to have been mistaken for a military plane.

 

[Liha]

Reuters reporting shot down by a Buk anti air missile.

According to wiki, max range is 22km. 10km is a cake walk.

That would mean that the Ukrainian Army has shot down the plane.

 

[DC R1D3R]

How do we know it was a missile?

they saw/witnessesd it no?

 

[Dazzler]

The aircraft involved

 

[Megalosaro]

This will be it. International intervention happens. Once you start shooting civilian airlines down it affects the international community now.

Hardly. You'll see people take a hardline against whoever is responsible. Tension will escalate, but nothing will come of it. Russia shot down an airline in the height of the cols war, and jack shit came of it

 

[iceatcs]

How do we know it was a missile?

Rebels claimed but wrong plane they thought.

 

[cooljeanius]

Malaysia declaring war on Russia in 3... 2... 1...

 

[HI. BILLY MAYS HERE]

Get a radar lock or heat signature and you can hit anything.

So this has to be Russia right ? Considering the sophisticated technology and operation needed.

 

[J-Roderton]

Sure looks like a military aircraft to me.

Sarcasm.

 

[Raistlin]

Eh. I really don't think this had the blessings of Putin. He is evil but not insane.

That doesn't really matter given Putin funded and armed them.

 

[DrM]

Well, that was fast (from Telegraph ticker site)

The Donetsk People’s Republic, where fighting continues between Kiev and opposition, has rejected any involvement in the incident, as there are reports that the plane was shot down.

It said its self-defense forces just don’t have such military equipment.