Three years ago Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down in Ukraine, killing 298 passengers and crew members. Thanks to open source investigations, we can be quite sure who did it.
Open-source intelligence group Bellingcat just published a new summary report of it's findings. The result is clear: MH17 was shot down by Russian Buk 332, of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
Read the whole thing: MH17 – The Open Source Investigation Three Years Later (pdf)
At 4:20pm local time on July 17, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was shot from the sky over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew members. Within hours, the world became aware of the general circumstances that led to the tragedy: a Buk anti-aircraft missile was launched from separatist-controlled territory, likely hoping to hit a Ukrainian aircraft rather than a passenger jet. Three years later, we know that these facts still hold up.
Over the past three years, thanks to a wealth of openly accessible and verifiable information, we have been able to determine precisely how that Buk missile launcher reached a field in eastern Ukraine. We know who organized the transport of the weapon in Ukraine, where the missile launcher came from before it arrived in Ukraine, and even the small dents and remaining traces of painted marks on the Buk that reveal its identity, going back to 2010.
The case of MH17 is a convoluted one, drawing the focus of international criminal investigations, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and amateur sleuths alike. This report will serve as a survey of the information related to the downing of MH17 that is freely available for anyone with an internet connection to access, analyze, and verify - in other words, open source information. This information can be found anywhere from a television broadcast, to satellite imagery, to the social media accounts of a Russian or Ukrainian serviceman. With an event as controversial and important as the downing of MH17, it is vital that, to the greatest extent possible, information related to the case is accessible and verifiable for the public.
This is one of the reasons why I despise Vladimir Putin so much. The blood is in his hands, but he still doesn't admit it like a man.
This case is also a great demonstration of the power of open-source intelligence (OSINT). People around the world are not anymore at the mercy of national intelligence agencies. We can do our own investigations, thanks to readily available cameras, satellite images and uncensorable flow of information in the internet. War criminals can be exposed and the whole world can see who is the evil guy.