Pro-Russian separatist commander Igor ‘The Terrible’ Strelkov allegedly appears on mobile phone video of MH17 crash saying: ‘That was a blast’
RUSSIAN rebel military chief Igor ‘The Terrible’ Strelkov has allegedly been filmed in a mobile phone video of MH17 plane as it crashed, gleefully bragging “That was a blast — look at the smoke!”.
Strelkov is alleged to have later penned a triumphant war cry on Twitter, saying: “We warned you — do not fly in ‘our sky’.”
A sickening mobile phone video posted online shows a pall of black smoke billowing over the crash site as three rebels provide an excited commentary.
The extraordinary footage — which was apparently filmed by the shooters themselves — charts the terrible final moments of the doomed airliner.
Their camera does not zoom in enough to see the plummeting plane in the sky, but the rebels’ voices can be heard talking happily of “black spots — these are the parts flying”, suggesting it fell to earth in several pieces.
A voice believed to be that of Strelkov — dubbed “Igor the Terrible” — announces: “The plane was hit!” He adds: “Look at those black spots, these are the parts flying … it was a blast … look, look, black smoke!”
Another rebel, possibly referring to the missile system, laughs and says: “It was worth bringing this thing, wasn’t it? It was not in vain.”
None of the rebels can be seen in their horrific film, but it appears to be genuine because at the time only they seemed to be aware of what was happening.
Ordinary life carries on in the village where they are standing. A car drives past and an unsuspecting villager is seen wandering past the camera.
Shortly after the passenger plane was downed, Strelkov — seen smirking in propaganda photos — tweeted a boastful message claiming responsibility.
At the time, he apparently believed he had shot down an Antonov-26 military plane of the Ukrainian air force, saying it landed near a mine named Progress.
His chilling message read: “In the area Torez we just hit down An-26, it’s lying somewhere in the mine ‘Progress’.
“We warned you — do not fly in ‘our sky’. And here is the video confirmation of the ‘bird dropping’.
“Bird fell near the mine, the residential sector was not disturbed. Civilians are not injured.” Later as the horror became clear, the tweet was deleted.
Far from civilians being unharmed, accounts began to emerge of bodies falling out of the stricken plane over the village of Rassypnaya. Residents said charred and naked bodies lay in the streets.
Strelkov, who minutes earlier had been boasting about his “military” success, seems to have gone to ground once he realised his catastrophic mistake.
A man of mystery with at least three names, Strelkov is believed by Ukraine to be a serving colonel in the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian army — a charge firmly denied by Moscow.
He commands pro-Russian forces now in control of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, but his enemies suspect he is a direct agent of the Kremlin.
The secret service in Kiev claims his real identity is Igor Girkin. He has an ex-wife and children still living in Moscow, and his Russian passport number and address in Moscow have been published by media in Ukraine.
http://www.news.com.au/world/prorussian-separatist-commander-igor-the-terrible-strelkov-allegedly-appears-on-mobile-phone-video-of-mh17-crash-saying-that-was-a-blast/story-fndir2ev-1226993406156