MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) – The US accusations of Russia’s involvement in the crash of the Malaysia Airlines plane in Ukraine are the beginning of a new protracted cold war between Russia and the West, a member of the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council said Saturday.
“After such a statement accusing the Russian leadership one can say that a cruel protracted cold war between Russia and the West has broken out,” Valery Shnyakin told RIA Novosti.
Commenting on the recent anti-Russian statements, Shnyakin stressed that such accusations should not be left unanswered and Russia “should think over retaliatory measures, probably impose sanctions against the United States and the European Union.”
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near Donetsk on July 17. All 296 people on board, including 283 passengers and 15 crew members died.
Ukrainian authorities claim the plane was shot down by independence supporters, whereas the latter say they do not have necessary equipment to hit a target flying this high.
Earlier Friday, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said at a briefing that Washington accuses the Russian leadership of being involved in the tragedy. According to the official, the plane was downed by a missile fired from the territory controlled by Ukraine’s independence supporters who, the US believes, receive weapons from Russia.
