WASHINGTON--U.S. intelligence officials presented their most
detailed case yet Tuesday that Russian-backed Ukrainian separatists
shot down a Malaysia Airlines jetliner last week, countering what
American officials see as Russian efforts to muddy the waters with
claims of Ukrainian culpability.
U.S. intelligence officials presented both photographic and
circumstantial evidence to back their view that a likely SA-11
antiaircraft weapon fired from separatist-controlled territory shot
down the commercial airliner, killing 298 people on board.
There is a "solid case it was an SA-11 fired from Eastern
Ukraine under conditions created by Russia," a top U.S.
intelligence official said.
Among evidence presented Tuesday: The U.S. detected a
surface-to-air missile launch at the time that the airliner was
hit, in roughly the same separatist-controlled area in Eastern
Ukraine; there has been a growing flow of weapons from Russia to
separatists over the last month; Russians have provided training
for separatist fighters in southwest Russia on antiaircraft weapons
and other arms; and separatists have downed more than a dozen
aircraft during the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a "full court press"
to spread a Russian version of events that try to pin the
shoot-down on the Ukrainians, which is "not plausible to us," once
senior intelligence official said.
A key goal of Tuesday's presentation was "not letting a Russian
narrative get out there," said one senior U.S. intelligence
official.
Russia has continued its support of the separatists since the
crash of Flight 17, sending tanks and rocket launchers, U.S.
intelligence officials said. "We don't think they have stopped,"
said one. "We think they continue to do it."
Officials acknowledged there are details of the missile launch
and airline crash that the U.S. hasn't confirmed. For instance,
they don't know who fired the SA-11--their names, ranks or
nationality. They also don't know precisely why the missile was
fired, but they said they believe it was mistakenly fired at a
commercial aircraft.
Write to Siobhan Gorman at siobhan.gorman@wsj.com
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