World War 3 continues to be on the minds of many in the wake of last week’s Malaysian Airlines crash over Ukraine. Someone apparently shot down the passenger jet, with most pointing the finger at pro-Russia rebels. Russia, however, has accused Ukraine of downing the jet.
U.S.: Russia not controlling separatists
This week U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia is not only arming and training separatists in Ukraine, but also supplying them with weapons, reports the Epoch Times. He also said Moscow is failing to keep the rebels under control. His latest comments have been among the harshest from the U.S. regarding Russia, as he called this Moscow’s “moment of truth.”
Kerry said they have intelligence from U.S. agencies and Ukraine that points the finger directly at pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine. He said in addition to having evidence of where the missile was launched from, they have audio on which separatists bragged about shooting the jet down. Almost 300 people died in the crash after a missile slammed into it. A journalist reportedly saw a missile launcher being fired from rebel-held territory in Ukraine. Vyacheslav Bolotov, a top rebel leader, said they will be showing experts that the Buk missile system they have is inoperable.
Investigators gain access to the site
Many questions remain as investigators prepare to investigate the crash. The separatists reportedly finally gave experts and monitors access to the site.. Time reports that rebels have since taken over the crash site after forcing emergency teams out.
They said they will turn over the black boxes from the Malaysian Airlines flight but that they will not yet turn over the bodies of the victims. The bodies are reportedly being stored in a refrigerated rail car. Rebel leader Alex Borodai said they want to hand over the bodies, but not until after their experts examine them. He believes that if they hand over the bodies to Ukraine, Kiev would use them to blame the rebels for the downing of the Boeing 777, according to CNN.
Some have questioned why anyone would target a passenger aircraft, and CNN reports that it’s possible they mistook it for a military jet. The rebels reportedly said over social media that they had downed a military transport jet, but the posts were deleted later after it was revealed that the plane which had been shot down was a passenger jet.
Will World War 3 erupt?
Questions also remain about how Russia will respond to the crash. President Vladimir Putin could side with the rebels, but according to CNN, he could become “an international pariah” if he does that. The West could also increase sanctions against Moscow, possibly sanctions that are bad enough to damage the Russian economy and plunge it into recession. Some believe this scenario could also result in World War 3, drawing a clear battle line between Russia and the rest of the world.
Putin’s other option could be to stop supporting the rebels. However, some believe that if he abandoned the rebels, he would look like a coward.
