(Bloomberg) President Vladimir Putin’s intransigence over Ukraine risks turning him into a global pariah should the blame for downing a Malaysian Air jet fall on pro-Russia rebels.
The crash of the Boeing Co. (BA) 777, which had 298 people on board, followed by less than 24 hours the imposition of new sanctions against Russia that targeted major energy companies and banks. While the rebels denied accusations by the Ukrainian government that they shot down the flight, U.S. military and intelligence officials said the evidence so far indicates a Russian-made missile hit the plane. […]
The separatists in eastern Ukraine aren’t entirely under Russian control, said Sam Charap, a senior fellow for Russian and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a Washington policy group. The rebels are “like the Russian Taliban. The people in Luhansk and Donetsk — they’re a proxy force being used to terrorize a neighbor.”
The crash could well cause Russia to pull back tactically, Charap said.
“I don’t think they’ll completely give up, but maybe rein in some of the crazies that they’ve let loose and enforce greater discipline,” Charap said in a telephone interview.
See the full story ("Jet Attack Puts Putin in Corner; 'This Isn't His Plan A'") © Bloomberg
