The Russian View of What Happened to Flight MH17

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In The Media

Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

The Russian View of What Happened to Flight MH17

With the international investigation of the Malaysian plane crash yet to begin in earnest, the West will base its understanding on evidence supplied mainly by the United States and Russia will see Western actions as punishment not for shooting down the plane, but rather for Moscow’s position on Ukraine.

By Dmitri Trenin

Published on Jul 21, 2014

Source: WBUR’s Here and Now

The West says pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine fired a missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Carnegie Moscow Center’s Dmitri Trenin spoke on WBUR with Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti about the Russian point of view.

Trenin noted that that President Putin views the situation with MH17 as extremely serious. “I think Putin is insisting on a very careful international investigation,” Trenin added. However, because “the international investigation has not begun in earnest,” actions of Western governments will be based on evidence supplied essentially by the United States, which Putin and other Russians will see as “sanctions and punishment not so much for the shooting down the plane, but rather for Russia’s position on Ukraine,” Trenin concluded.

This broadcast originally appeared on WBUR.

About the Author

Dmitri Trenin

Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center

Trenin was director of the Carnegie Moscow Center from 2008 to early 2022.

Recent Work

Commentary
Mapping Russia’s New Approach to the Post-Soviet Space
- Dmitri Trenin
Commentary
What a Week of Talks Between Russia and the West Revealed
- Dmitri Trenin

Security Military Foreign Policy North America United States Russia Eastern Europe Ukraine Western Europe

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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The Russian View of What Happened to Flight MH17