The first bodies of victims from Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 arrived in Holland yesterday. A long line of hearses winded their way through Eindhoven Royal Dutch Air Force base as troops gave partial military honors to the victims. There were no speeches, just crisp orders issued to troops in formation who saluted as the hearses were driven past.
The military honors are a welcome symbolic gesture to many victims’ families who had to deal with the horror and disrespect of the corpses of their loved ones. In the meantime, the diplomatic furor continues as nations decide on how to deal with Russia and the crisis in the Ukraine. Both United States and British military intelligence have revealed a solid connection between Russia and the militia group accused of shooting down the Malaysian Airlines jet. U.S. sources have satellite telemetry data which seems to indicate the launch of the missile and explosion of the jet, and the British have revealed that its government has proof that Russia supplied the missile system used to shoot down the jet.
Many European nations who were on the fence regarding sanctions against Russia have called the shoot down a game changer on how they will now deal with the Russian government. It is widely expected that major European powers will join the United States in economic sanctions which will seriously impact the Russian economy and the personal wealth of its top leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
