Being shocked, stunned, anguished, and indignant were the feeling of world people when they knew about the shooting down of the MH17 passenger plane on July 17 on the Ukrainian sky, killing all 298 people on board. Over the past 5 days, investigation on the crash has been slow and faced various challenges. In stead of working together in an investigation, concerned parties are involved in a verbal battle.

An information battle

The separatists in eastern Ukraine said the government planned the attack, while the Kiev government accused the separatists for the shooting. The US and the west have simultaneously attacked Russia saying that Moscow has done nothing to stop a preventable crisis in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US has to take responsibility for giving Kiev a green light to suppress separatists in the eastern region. Together with accusations, countries have shown evidence to blame each other.

A Ukrainian intelligence source confirmed that pro-Russian rebels received BUK-M1 missile of the SA-11 radar guided missile system and maybe with experts from Russia. The Ukrainian intelligence said they have a tape recording a conversation between the separatists and Russian intelligence officials and evidence that the rebels are using a Russian-made sophisticated surface-to-air missile system.

The Russian Ministry said its aviation data showed that a Su-25 of Ukraine was flying close to MH17 before the Boeing 777 crashed. But all evidences have not been verified and the public is waiting for a transparent answer from an international investigation Committee.

Political intentions behind the MH17 tragedy

Russian President Putin said on Monday that nobody has the right to use the MH17 tragedy for any kind of selfish, political purposes.

Analysts say the Ukrainian crisis will evolve depending on the final investigation result of the downed plane. They have predicted two scenarios. First, if the evidence proves that the Ukrainian government is the culprit, the US and the west will strongly denounce the Kiev government. They will reduce their support for Kiev and still call on relevant parties to negotiate and demand Russia to stop backing the separatists.

In case the investigation finds the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine responsible, the Kiev administration will enhance military suppression in eastern provinces.

The world’s political scene after MH17 tragedy

The world political scene is predicted to significantly change when the cause of the plane crash is found. The Ukrainian crisis, which is a problem among Russia, the US, and the west, has become a global issue following the MH17 tragedy. Countries, which have citizens died in the crash, have lost patience to the slow and ineffective investigation. A possible military support for the Kiev government is more feasible. 

The danger is that some European countries have responded to the US’ belief that the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine were the culprit of the shooting. Punishments and economic sanctions will be imposed on Russia without a final investigation result. It’s easy to know whether Russia will retreat or not. Giving Russia’s influence in eastern Ukraine and effort to prevent Ukraine from joining the NATO, no one can assure that the Ukrainian crisis will ease in the coming days.