Photo Gallery An Attack with Consequences
Belongings can be seen here from the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17, which crashed in Ukraine after being shot down on Thursday. Evidence suggests the plane had been shot down by pro-Russia separatists using a complex surface-to-air missile system.
For the passengers of Flight MH 17, a prospect of a vacation in the tropics ended in death on the outskirts of the village of Grabovo in eastern Ukraine. Entire families perished in the crash, as evidenced by the chldren's drawings and comic books that now lie scattered in a Ukrainian wasteland.
There was considerable criticism over the weekend of the way in which the crash site and bodies were handled. The first international forensics experts weren't able to get to the site of the crash until Monday.
Here, members of the Ukrainian Emergency Ministry can be seen scouring the site near Thursday's crash for bodies and other evidence.
All 298 people on board the Boeing 777 died in the crash. Eighty children were on board the aircraft, including three infants.
Here, luggage from the aircraft can be seen strewn across the crash site. Until last week, most in Western Europe perceived the civil war in Ukraine as a foreign and faraway conflict. The downing of flight MH 17 has suddenly brought the war much closer.
The route over eastern Ukraine is part of one of the busiest flight paths in the world, known to pilots as "L980". Anyone who has ever flown from Frankfurt, Amsterdam or London to Singapore, Hong Kong or Mumbai has likely traveled along that route. At the time of the incident, Singapore Airlines and Air Inia flights were in the air space over the rebel-held territory. A Lufthansa flight was also scheduled to fly over a few hours later.
Here, Ukrainian emergency vehicles can be seen at the site of the crash on Thursday. One Russian opposition politician depicted the events as being the equivalent of an Eastern European 9/11. While this may not be the best comparison, the July 17 disaster certainly does mark an important turning point. It could force the Europeans to take a more decisive approach in the Ukraine conflict.
It is believed that an SA-11 (Buk) anti-aircraft missile system in the hands of pro-Russian rebels was used to down the aircraft. The United States claimed over the weekend to have "powerful" evidence this was the case. This 2011 archive photo shows a Buk system on display at an airshow outside Moscow.
"We know for certain that the separatists have a proficiency that they've gained from training from Russians as to how to use these sophisticated SA-11 systems," US Secretary of State John Kerry said on a political talk show on Sunday.
On Friday, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry released a video showing what it purported to be a missile system being transported to the Russian border. The video was supposedly recorded at 4:50 a.m. last Friday, or about 12 hours after the crash of MH 17.
Igor Strelkov (left), a colonel with the Ukrainian separatists and former Russian intelligence officer, provided another clue on the social network VKontakte. On Thursday, he posted: "We have just shot down an An-26. We warned them not to fly through our airspace." He also wrote that he had "information about a second aircraft that was shot down, reportedly an Su." At that point, he was unaware that the downed airliner was a Boeing, and he later deleted the posting.
Serious criticism is mounting against Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could translate into further and damaging Western sanctions. Putin has denied responsibility and claimed repeatedly that if Ukraine hadn't launched a military offensive against the separatists in June that last week's plane crash never would have happened.
Meanwhile, mourning is taking place around the world: In Malaysia, whose national airline has been the subject of a major tragedy two times this year, a large-format display on a a building offered condolences to the families of victims. Last week's missile strike against the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur-bound flight was the second major tragedy for the airline this year, which also lost a second Boeing 777 in March. The whereabouts of Flight MH 370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing still haven't been determined.
Here, people can be seen lining up at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to express their sorrow over the losses. Some 189 of the passengers aboard the flight were Dutch citizens, bringing the Ukraine crisis to the heart of Europe.
An angry Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters Saturday he was "shocked by images of completely disrespectful behavior" of rebels picking through the wreckage and personal belonging of victims of the crash scene. The Dutch leader said he had engaged in an "extremely intense" phone call with Vladimir Putin in which he urged the Russian president to "show the world he intends to help" in the investigation. He warned that "all political, economic and financial options are on the table," if Putin does not cooperate.
A message in a condolence book signed by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague reads: "Many thousands of persons in our country and abroad mourn the loss for family members, friends, colleagues, classmates and acquaintances. In our thoughts we are with them. With all that have been stricken we sympathize intensively!"
