WSJ:"Claims Raise Questions of Why Ukraine Failed to Close Airspace".

[CJCRANE]

Ukraine Knew of Separatists' Air-Defense Capabilities, Say Officials
Claims Raise Questions of Why Ukraine Failed to Close Airspace

KIEV—Ukraine intelligence officials said they knew three days before the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that rebels in the east of the country possessed sophisticated air-defense systems capable of felling a jetliner at altitudes in excess of where the Boeing BA 777 was flying.

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Three Buk-M1 medium-range antiaircraft systems, also known as the SA-11 Gadfly under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization designation, were known to be in rebel hands as early as July 14, said Vitaly Nayda, the head of the counterintelligence division of Ukraine's security service. (Follow the latest updates on the Malaysia Airlines crash in Ukraine.)

Ukraine imposed a partial flight ban in the region on flights below 26,000 feet on July 1, and raised the ceiling of the exclusion area to 32,000 feet on July 14. The Malaysia Airlines plane was flying at 33,000 feet.

"I can't think of any reason why you would increase a restriction to 32,000 feet when the bad boys have just demonstrated a capability to go all the way," said a European aviation safety veteran. The airspace should have been closed, he said.

Full article: http://online.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-knew-of-separatists-air-defense-capabilities-say-officials-1405781508

[jakeXT]

1. If it was "please fly a bit lower and bit further north than usual", unaltered ATC tapes confiscated

by SBU could help.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 had requested to fly at 35,000 feet (10,600 metres) over Ukrainian air space but was instructed by the country’s air traffic control to fly at 33,000ft (10,060m) instead, Malaysia Airlines said in a statement this evening. - See more at:

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ukraine-authority-instructed-mh17-to-fly-at-33000ft-says-mas

Did MH17 pilot divert INTO the danger zone? Aviation expert claims captain made last-minute change of course over Ukraine because he 'felt uncomfortable'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2696975/Putin-blames-Ukraine-loss-Flight-MH17-298-innocent-souls-DOESNT-deny-Russian-separatists-shot-missile-McCain-warns-Hell-pay.html

[Fred Sanders]

2. And they lifted the air restriction to 32,000 feet just before some say.

[daleo]

3. I imagine that the Ukrainian govt didn't want to look weak

Like it wasn't in control of its own airspace. That seems like a serious mistake now.

[malaise]

4. What if they didn't want those outside of the insiders to know

they were using military aircraft to attack their own citizens?

[Igel]

6. This was no secret.

Not at all. MSM had stories about fighters shot down. For "not wanting outsiders to know," they were pretty open about it. TSN, UNIAN, UNN all ran stories about air strikes on a continual basis (TSN is a national tv syndicate, UNIAN is the independent national press service, UNN is the national press service).

Ukrains'ka Pravda, Korrespondent, in Russian and Ukrainian ran stories about air strikes and fighters shot down. Kiev Post ran stories about them in English.

RIA Novosti-Ukraine ran stories about it, and they're just the Ukrainian branch of RIA Novosti, the Russian state news service (with a puppy dog affiliate called RT).

[former9thward]

5. As with everything follow the money.

Airlines pay overflight fees to countries they fly over whether they land in them or not. Ukraine did not want to give up any of those fees. BTW the airlines are also responsible. They saved fuel by flying over a war zone.