Strana 18
were spread. This tactic—immediately flooding
the public with contradictory explanations—is
a hallmark of Russian propaganda, designed
to dilute and obscure the truth. The MH17 case
was no exception, with one absurd theory
following another.
One claim suggested that a Ukrainian
Su-25 attack aircraft had shot down the
Boeing. However, anyone with basic aviation
knowledge knows that the Su-25 lacks the
speed, altitude capability, and weaponry
to accomplish such a feat. Another false
narrative involved a supposedly "authentic"
satellite image showing a Ukrainian
Su-27 firing a missile at MH17 at close range.
The image was, in reality, a crude forgery.
The most bizarre theory suggested that the
entire event was staged and that the plane had
been filled with corpses that had already been
dead for some time.
Multiple Western investigative teams,
however, concluded—based on substantial
evidence—that MH17 was hit by a missile
from a Buk system fired from Russian-
controlled territory. They also identified the
Russian military unit responsible: the same
53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. These
findings were confirmed by a Dutch court,
which, in November 2022, sentenced three
men—Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinsky, and Leonid
Kharchenko—to life in prison for their roles
in the downing of MH17. All were sentenced in
absentia, as Russia refused to hand them over.
Ironically, only one of them, Igor Girkin,
is currently in a Russian prison—not for
the deaths of 298 innocent people, but for
"extremism." His crime? Insulting Vladimir Putin,
whom he accused of weak and incompetent
leadership in the war against Ukraine.
Girkin, also known as Strelkov, was
a Russian intelligence operative who played
a key role in igniting the separatist conflict
in eastern Ukraine. He once boasted that
without him, there would have been no war
in Donbas, as the local population had little
interest in taking up arms. This statement
alone undermines the Kremlin's long-standing
narrative that the conflict was a "civil war"
rather than Russian aggression.
Ukrainian Losses
During the observed period, from
December 1 to December 31, military aircraft,
helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles
were continuously conducting operations.
Consequently, losses were suuffere. However,
the shooting down of a civilian aircraft is such
an exceptional event that most of this report
was dedicated to it. The only confirmed loss
of Ukrainian equipment occurred on Saturday,
December 14, in the Kherson region. A Russian
S-400 air defense system hit a Su-25 from
UKRAINE
An image of a Ka-52 helicopter, published by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Since the beginning of the war,
Russia has lost at least 63 helicopters of this type. One was also lost in December 2024, as covered
in this latest update of the series.
On December
14, the
Ukrainian
military
intelligence
set fire to
a Su-27P
at the Krymsk
base
Ukraine’s 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade released a series of photos of MiG-29 fighter jets.
INFO Eduard18
February 2025