Ukrainian Ambassador: Airliner shot down over terrorist-controlled territory, Ukraine antiaircraft installations unused

Ukraine's ambassador to Romania Teofil Bauer has stated on Friday that Malaysian Airlines' Boeing 777 airliner was shot down by terrorists; he maintained that Ukraine has not used its air defence capabilities, since the beginning of the conflict.

"During the period of conducting anti-terrorist operations, the anti-air installations of the Ukrainian army have not been used. The Boeing 777 airliner was outside the range of the anti-air defense system of the Ukrainian armed forces. Some hours after the terrorist attack, the Ukrainian security services have obtained and published undeniable proofs that the plane was shot down by pro-Russian terrorists with Russian weaponry", said Bauer in a press conference.

He said the Government in Kiev is taking all the measures to negotiate with the "illegal armed groups" to gain full access to the site of the airliner crash in order to conduct identification and repatriation operations.

"At the moment there is unofficial information that the separatists will grant access to the crash site", added the ambassador.

The Ukrainian diplomat mentioned that a state committee under the coordination of President Petro Poroshenko was created; the structure is managing the situation created following the airliner crash and that the investigation will be developed with the involvement of international experts.

Bauer said that, according to data available at this moment, three babies have died in the crash. According to the numbers quoted by the Ukrainian ambassador, at this moment, of the identified passengers 154 are Dutch, 43 are Malaysians (of which 15 crew members and two children), 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians (of which 1 child), 9 British citizens, 4 Germans, 4 Belgians, 3 Filipinos...