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<h1 itemprop="name headline ">Malaysia Airlines flight MH17
crashes in east Ukraine</h1>
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<li class="publication"> <big><big><a itemprop="publisher"
href="http://www.theguardian.com/">theguardian.com</a>, <time
itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2014-07-17T13:55EDT"
pubdate="">Thursday 17 July 2014 13.55 EDT</time> </big></big></li>
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<big><big> </big></big>
<div id="article-body-blocks"><big><big> <span class="inline embed
embed-media">
<div class="vp-container"><span class="caption"><a
href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jul/17/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh17-crashes-ukraine-video"
title="Video will start automatically on this page">Link
to video: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes over
Ukraine</a></span></div>
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<p><big><big>A </big></big><big><big><a
href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/malaysia"
title="More from the Guardian on Malaysia">Malaysia</a></big></big><big><big>
Airlines passenger jet carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to
Kuala Lumpur has crashed in an area of eastern </big></big><big><big><a
href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/ukraine"
title="More from the Guardian on Ukraine">Ukraine</a></big></big><big><big>
where separatist rebels have been engaging Ukrainian
military forces in recent weeks. Ukraine's president, Petro
Poroshenko, said the jet may have been shot down.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>"We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and
confirm that the Ukraine armed forces did not fire at any
targets in the sky," Poroshenko said in a statement.</big></big></p>
<big><big><span class="inline wide"><img
src="cid:part5.05030501.06010607@comcast.net"
alt="Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in Ukraine"
data-pin-description="Emergency workers at the crash site.
Photograph: Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters" height="276" width="460">
<span class="caption" style="width: 460px;"> Emergency
workers at the crash site. Photograph: Maxim
Zmeyev/Reuters </span> </span></big></big><big><big>
</big></big>
<p><big><big><br>
</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said Ukraine's air
traffic control lost contact with flight MH17 at 2.15pm GMT,
approximately 30 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.</big></big></p>
<big><big><span class="inline wide"><img
src="cid:part6.08020308.06050903@comcast.net" alt="Ukraine
Plance crash WEB1" data-pin-description="Credit: Guardian
graphics" height="500" width="460"> <span class="caption"
style="width: 460px;"> Credit: Guardian graphics </span>
</span></big></big><big><big>
</big></big>
<p><big><big>Leaders of the self-declared Donetsk people's
republic denied any involvement, according to Interfax news
agency. A member of the republic's security council said
rebel weapons only had the capacity to shoot down a plane at
3,000 metres and blamed Ukrainian military forces for the
attack.</big></big></p>
<big><big>Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president,
Vladimir Putin, called allegations that Russia had been
involved in the downing of MH17 "stupidity". Peskov told the
Guardian that the Kremlin would not make a further statement
on the tragedy <br>
<big>because "no one knows" who is responsible. </big></big></big><big><big><span
class="inline wide"> <img
src="cid:part7.01070400.06050308@comcast.net" alt="Smoke
reportedly from Malaysian Airlines plane crash in Ukraine"
data-pin-description="Local Ukrainian TV images show smoke
from the Malaysia passenger airliner that has crashed near
the Russian border. Photograph: Universal News And Sport
(Europe)" height="276" width="460"> <span class="caption"
style="width: 460px;"> Local Ukrainian TV images show
smoke from the Malaysia passenger airliner that has
crashed near the Russian border. Photograph: Universal
News And Sport (Europe) </span> </span></big></big><big><big>
</big></big>
<p><big><big>Asked about the possibility of further US sanctions
in light of this bloody development in the conflict in
eastern Ukraine, Peskov said he could not rule it out.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big><big>"The United States has recently been conducting
a very non-constructive policy, and their actions are very
unpredictable,"</big> he said.</big></big></p>
<big><big>Several airlines, including British Airways, Aeroflot,
Turkish Airlines and Russia's Transaereo, announced that they
would avoid Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect.
Lufthansa said it would steer clear of airspace over eastern
Ukraine.</big></big><big><big><br>
</big></big>
<p><big><big>The crash comes four months after Malaysia Airlines
flight MH370 vanished on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to
Beijing with 239 people on board, two-thirds of them Chinese
citizens. It has yet to be found despite a massive
international search, which is ongoing, but Malaysia
Airlines has said it believes everyone on board died when
the plane crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>That aircraft was a Boeing-777 – the same kind of
plane as flight MH17.<br>
</big></big></p>
<p><big><big> <big>In 2001, Ukraine admitted that its military was
probably responsible for shooting down a Russian airliner
that crashed into the Black Sea, killing all 78 on board.
A senior Ukrainian official said it had most likely been
downed by an accidental hit from an S-200 rocket fired
during exercises.</big></big></big></p>
<p><big><big><big>In 1983, a Soviet jet fighter shot down a South
Korean airliner after it veered off course into Russian
air space and failed to respond to attempts to make
contact. All 269 passengers and crew were killed.</big></big></big></p>
<p><big><big><big>In 1988, the US warship Vincennes shot down an
Iranian airliner over the Gulf, killing all 290 passengers
and crew, in what the United States said was an accident
after crew mistook the plane for a fighter. Tehran called
it a deliberate attack.</big></big></big></p>
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