Investigators are inspecting the crash site of the downed airliner, but are having difficulty with rebel forces in control of the scene. Ukraine pres. Poroshenko says he will not negotiate with the rebels thereby giving them a semblance of official recognition.
As Malaysian Air teams inspect the site, the Dutch people begin to identify returned bodies, a process that could take months. A funeral cortege wound through Amsterdam carrying one of the first victims. Time magazine published an article on the tragedy tht included 2 startling photos: the first was of a wheat field that enclosed a complete aircraft seat from the plane with a body still strapped in place; the second was the interior of a home in dim light which clearly showed a corpse lying on the floor beneath a gaping hole in the ceiling above. The resident, head bowed, was photographed in the next room, trying to make sense of what has happened to his world.
The US has released information that demonstrates Russia's involvement in the shoot down on many levels. The data also highlights Russia's continued support of the rebels with heavy artillery from across the border.
And so, the world has come to understand that Mr. Putin continues to advance his personal agenda, exercise power beyond Russia's borders. His track record is very plain:invasions of Georgia and Crimea; the murder of Sergei Magnitsky; the prison sentences of Pussy Riot; the legal harassment of Alexei Navalny; the asylum granted to Edward Snowden; and the cheating on the IMF Treaty. All these incidents and events serve to undercut Columbia University professor Robert Levgold who has professed US policy should focus on clarifying the US-Russian interface. Hmmmmm. In the current issue of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Levgold urges damage control to avoid misperceptions.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian army units continue to pressure rebel forces near Donetsk.
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