So when the rebels say they don't have the capability to shoot down the plane they're telling the truth.
Part of good propaganda isn't just telling lies. It's making sure that the competing story can't be verified. Even without its own version, Russia can always say, "Where are the SA-11 batteries? Can't prove them? How do we know they were there?"
"That video? Might be a Ukrainian SA-11 videotaped two years ago in the suburbs of Kiev. Or the day after the plane was shot down, taped near L'vov."
"Even if you do prove conclusively that the videos are of SA-11s on the right day where they are claimed to be, how do we know that they weren't units captured from the Ukrainians? If you can't examine them you can't check the serial numbers, now can you? Gee, I wonder what happened to them. You can't find them anywhere and the war's over? Tough luck. Maybe they were destroyed in some artillery barrage."
Given that the reports of the Buks showing up and getting to Snizhne occurred before the incident, I think it almost certain that the reports of the Buks backtracking are true. But ...
Before doing anything against Russia there are those so committed to insistently not getting involved--any involvement might cost them something, political or monetary--that they'll grasp at any straw to continue to do nothing. Then there are those who so fervently believe that Russia can't be involved and the rebels must be good that in the absence of 100% beyond-any-doubt-at-all proof there's still a chance that it wasn't Russia or the rebels. And if there's still a chance, however small, then belief can survive.
The countries that are most hesitant to impose sanctions are those with the greatest trade ties with Russia. The EU just imposed sanctions, at least partially because of Crimea. Yet today the news is that Italy and Greece are digging deep to provide additional ferries to unite Russia and the Crimea. There's been a real shortage of ferry space for tourists, for cars, for produce and merchandise in the last month.
On the other hand, a lot of ferries have been photographed in the last month carrying APCs, tanks, soldiers, munitions to really beef up the Russian military presence in Crimea. Space is fungible. By providing ferries, Greece and Italy are helping deepen the Russian military presence in Crimea. A lot of the armaments show up on the Ukrainian border, and help the Russians pressure the Ukrainian government militarily.
So while reluctantly agreeing to sanctions that will hurt their economy and saying high-minded words about Ukrainian territorial integrity and such, Italy and Greece are profiting from helping Russia to do what the sanctions are punishing Russia for.
Then again, Golden Dawn is a great admirer of Putin, and the Russian Orthodox Army types dress and act and have the same kinds of slogans and activities as the Greek fascists allied and overlapping with Golden Dawn. Sort of a swastika merged with an Orthodox cross. Clever, that.
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