Moscow scurries to deflect blame for Malaysia Airlines crash

AsianNews: Russian leaders asserted Monday that responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 lies with Ukraine, seeking to refute charges that pro-Russian rebels are to blame for the crash that claimed nearly 300 lives.

     International investigators attempting to reach the crash site in eastern Ukraine have been thwarted by the armed separatists, who control that part of the country and are supported by Russia. This has prompted increasing criticism of Russia by the U.S. and Europe and put Moscow in a tight spot.

     In a televised address Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the separatists to cooperate with investigations. "Everything must be done to ensure the safe work of international experts on the scene of that tragedy," he said.

     But Putin also stressed that the greatest blame ought to fall on Ukraine, which called off a cease-fire with the rebels. The tragedy would not have occurred if the agreement had held, he claimed.

     A Russian military official tried to sidestep blame in an international news conference, again denying accusations that Russia supplied the separatists with surface-to-air missiles. Referencing maps and photographs indicating the positions of the Ukrainian military's own missiles and radar installations, the official made an emphatic case for the possibility that it shot down MH17. The jet was flying as far as 14km off its original course just before going down, he said.

     Russian attempts to circulate information on the crash reflect a sense of crisis in Moscow amid mounting international criticism as efforts to investigate the site and remove bodies have been slow to progress. Speaking on TV news programs Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presented circumstantial evidence that MH17 was downed by pro-Russian forces that had received arms from Moscow.

     Rebels continued Monday to obstruct access to the crash site by officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Ukrainian government, according to local media. Concerns have been raised over corpses decomposing in the summer heat and pro-Russian forces possibly removing evidence as well as stealing passengers' personal effects.

TAKAYUKI TANAKA, Nikkei staff writer