MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) – “Fact-hiding” is a distinctive Western behavior in the events in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
“It seems to me that ‘fact-hiding’ is a characteristic feature of the position, first and foremost, by the US and a number of European countries in regard to everything that is happening in Ukraine, be it confirmations of our troops’ movements, or the direct participation of American Special Forces under the Ukrainian forces and them holding military operations, or the investigation of the Malaysian Boeing [passenger] plane crash, or investigating the tragedy on [Ukraine’s] Maidan Square of the so-called sniper deal, or the tragedy in Odesa on May 2,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif in Moscow.
Since former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted and the new interim government came to power, the United States has supported all Kiev’s actions, even though they have led to violent mass protests.
On May 2, clashes between anti-government protesters on one side, and Ukrainian football fans and Euromaidan activists on the other broke out in Odesa. At least 46 people died, three went missing and 214 were injured, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
The interim government in Kiev has been accused by Odesa officials of covering up the actual death toll of at least 116.
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in eastern Ukraine, near the city of Donetsk. All 298 people on board died, including 283 passengers and 15 crew members.
Ukrainian authorities claim independence supporters shot down the plane, but the latter say they do not have the means to hit a target flying at that height.
The investigation into the incident was constantly interrupted by fighting between Kiev forces and the local militia in the area of the plane crash.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised to stop attacks in the area, but fighting intensified as Ukrainian authorities said they wanted to “cleanse” the area of independence forces.
Moscow has blamed Kiev for failing to provide the recorded conversations between Ukrainian air traffic control and the Malaysia Airlines plane.
Media reports said the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) had confiscated tapes of conversations between Ukrainian air traffic controllers and the crew of the plane.
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