MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) – The last minutes of the MH 17 flight were not recorded by radar and there is no information to confirm that the Malaysian Boeing was downed by a missile, German media have reported citing an official response from Berlin.
In a response to a request by the Left Party in the Bundestag, obtained by the media companies WDR and NDR, the German government said AWACS aircraft patrolling Polish and Romanian airspace found the Malaysian plane but links with it were lost when it entered the uncontrolled area.
Two AWACS aircraft recorded the signals of one of the anti-aircraft systems and another unknown system that was automatically assigned to the SA-3 complex known as Pechora.
The German government stressed that this is a routine signal recorded in the region. Citing secrecy, the authorities have failed to reveal the data they received from US spy satellites and conversations intercepted amid the crash.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak earlier claimed that the MH17 flight was downed by a surface-to-air missile.
An August 7 a report by Malaysia’s New Straits Times asserted, citing conclusions by American intelligence analysts, that the plane was shot down by an air -to-air missile with the knowledge of the Ukrainian government. Satellite images released by the Russian Ministry of Defense show a Ukrainian plane in the vicinity of the MH17 prior to the crash.
On July 17, a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in the Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk. None of the 298 people on board survived.
The reason for the crash is a matter of debate. Kiev accuses independence supporters in eastern Ukraine of shooting down a plane, but cannot provide any evidence. The local militia leaders assert that they do not have weapons capable of shooting down a plane flying at 32,000 feet.
The investigation into the incident has been constantly interrupted by fighting between Kiev forces and the local militia in the area.
Last week, the Dutch Safety Board that is heading the investigation into the crash stated that the final report on causes of MH17 catastrophe will be published next summer.