Dutch Prime Minister says the bodies of the dead from flight MH17 are now in a safe area of Ukraine and will arrive in Kharkhiv in an hour.
— Keir Simmons (@KeirSimmons) July 22, 2014
Spotted in Donetsk: rebels digging trenches along the road. Preparing for urban warfare? A Ukrainian ground assault here will be very messy
— Kirit Radia (@KiritRadia) July 22, 2014
RFE/RL's multimedia department has issued this Reuters video of the rather surreal press conference last night, during which pro-Russian separatists seemingly handed over MH17's "black boxes" to Malaysian investigators:
Mayak district of #Donetsk: series of explosions heard nearby, probably artillery shelling
— Petr Shelomovskiy (@shelomovskiy) July 22, 2014
The rebels have removed their #MH17 memorial from their headquarters & left it in the lobby of the Malaysians' hotel. pic.twitter.com/wDPAoGuVse
— max seddon (@maxseddon) July 22, 2014
Our news desk has issued this item on the upcoming EU meeting today and the possibility of further sanctions against Russia:
European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss further sanctions on Russia after the downing of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine.
U.S. and EU officials say there is increasing evidence the plane was shot down by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 people aboard.
The UN Security Council has unanimously passed a resolution condemning the downing of the plane and demanded full access to the crash site for international investigators.
The separatists handed over to Malaysian officials the black box flight recorders on July 21 -- after previously hindering international observers from accessing the crash site.
Separatists who control the area also agreed to allow the remains of the passengers to head toward Kharkiv by train.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbout says evidence at the crash site has been tampered with "on an industrial scale" as part of an apparent cover up.
(Reuters, AFP)
Dutch prosecutors have opened an investigation into #MH17 on suspicion of murder, war crimes and intentionally downing an airliner,
— Just Hovens Greve (@JustHovensGreve) July 22, 2014
Even if you don't speak Russian, worth watching this video of Zhirinovsky war-mongering in the Duma: http://t.co/UcIaxphsMH
— Robert Coalson (@CoalsonR) July 22, 2014
Train carrying #MH17 victims arrived in #Kharkiv - Interfax
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) July 22, 2014
Some more fallout from the volatile situation in eastern Ukraine: According to the BBC, six foreign soccer players from Shaktar Donetsk have failed to turn up for duty:
Six Shakhtar Donetsk players refused to return to the city following Saturday's friendly in France because of concerns over the conflict in Ukraine.
Donetsk is currently controlled by pro-Russian rebels, with the Ukrainian army attempting to regain control.
Alex Teixeira, Fred, Dentinho, Douglas Costa, Facundo Ferreyra and Ismaily did not fly back after the game in Lyon.
Club president Rinat Akhmetov has warned that the players may face sanctions if they do not return.
Read the entire article here