Militia does not possess capabilities to bring down jetliner- DPR
MOSCOW. July 17 (Interfax) - The leadership of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said that it is determining the circumstances of the Boeing-777 crash near the Russian border and that the militia does not possess the means to bring down high-altitude planes.
"We are determining all the circumstances of this incident, about which we have just found out from reporters," DPR First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin said.
"However, I want to state that the militia does not have arms which could bring down planes flying at such high altitudes," Purgin said.
"Indeed, we have man-portable air defense systems but their range is five kilometers maximum," Purgin said.
Meanwhile, others in the Ukrainian party claimed without evidence that the aircraft was allegedly hit by the militia with a Buk SA-17 air defense system.