A number of conspiracy theories involving the downing of the Malaysia Airlines MH17 have surfaced following the death of the 298 passengers and crew. However, a new BBC documentary has made bold allegations that the passenger jet was targeted by a Ukrainian fighter jet. Another theory presented in the documentary suggests that MH17 was downed as part of a CIA-backed terrorist operation.
The Daily Mail reports that a BBC documentary called Conspiracy Files: Who Shot Down MH17? will air on May 3, 2016, and will feature a number of theories surrounding the MH17 crash. In the documentary, the idea that a Ukrainian fighter jet may have shot down the plane was discussed. The claims come as witnesses report that two smaller planes were flying in close proximity to MH17 at the time of the explosion. However, official reports regarding the MH17 crash indicate that the plane was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from an area of Ukraine that was under the control of Russian-backed rebels.
However, the new witness reports indicate that it may not have been a surface-to-air missile as originally reported but instead a missile shot from a fighter jet. Natasha Beronina, a witness to the crash working in fields below, claims that she saw two planes in the sky at high altitude that looked like “silver toys.” She says that as a bang rang out in the air, one plane continued flying straight on while the second plane turned around and flew back.
“It was summer, harvest time. We heard a bang. At first we thought we saw black smoke and two planes, little ones like silver toys. One flew straight on and the other one turned round when the bang happened and flew back from where it had come.”
A German journalist investigating the crash says he personally spoke with 100 witnesses to the crash, noting that seven of those witnesses claim to have seen two fighter jets in the air with MH17 just before the crash. The witnesses who claim to have seen fighter jets note that one jet seemed to fire an air-to-air missile at the passenger plane while the second plane fired a cannon into the cockpit.
What BBC #MH17 conspiracy show will be abt https://t.co/kTnvmfE3yF @EliotHiggins of @bellingcat fame will be on too pic.twitter.com/XkThlFImTY
— boggled (@boggled102) April 24, 2016
Both Russian and Ukrainian officials deny any involvement in the downing of the plane, with both pointing fingers at the other. However, some have pointed fingers at Captain Vladislav Voloshin, the Ukrainian pilot in the “wrong place at the wrong time.” A Ukrainian witness speaking to Voltaire reported that Captain Voloshin left with air-to-air missiles hung on his fighter jet about an hour before MH17 was downed. He claims that the captain returned with no missiles and appeared scared.
- Did you have the opportunity to watch specifically what was hung to the air jet pylons? Could you mix up air-to-air and air-to-earth missiles?
No, I could not mix them up. They differ in sizes, empennage, and color. The guidance head. It is so easy to recognize it. Actually, after some time only one jet returned, and two had been shot down. Somewhere in the East of Ukraine, I was told so. Only one jet returned, which had those suspended missiles.
- So, did it return already without missiles?
Without any missiles. And the pilot was very frightened.
Did a Ukrainian fighter jet shoot down #MH17 ? @MailOnline https://t.co/1k4yiIYNkh pic.twitter.com/injPuQKdRa
— Air Disasters (@AirCrashMayday) April 24, 2016
After being named as the potential fighter jet pilot who shot down MH17, Voloshin claims that there were no flights on the day of the downing, and he goes on to claim that no air-to-air missiles were present on Ukrainian fighter jets. Voloshin says that only air-to-ground missiles were fitted on the jets. The BBC documentary also points to a CIA-backed anti-terrorist mission as the possible culprit in the downing of MH17. This theory suggests that two bombs were placed on the passenger plane before takeoff, which exploded mid-flight. A private investigator, Sergey Sokolov, is solely responsible for this conspiracy theory, noting that the efforts were designed to blame Russia for the attack.
“This terrorist act was a pretext for firstly intensifying sanctions on Russia, secondly to show the world that Russia is a barbarian country and thirdly to strengthen the presence of Nato in Europe, particularly Ukraine.”
What do you think about the conspiracy theories put forth by the BBC documentary? Do you think we will ever learn the truth of what happened to MH17 that dreadful day?
[Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky, File/AP Images]