Missing Malaysia Plane Hijack 'Conclusive'

Was Flight MH370's Transponder Turned Off?

Updated: 12:57am UK, Friday 14 March 2014

The transponder on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is likely to have been deliberately turned off by one of the crew, aircraft experts have told Sky News.

A massive search effort, using military warships and planes to scour a massive expanse of water, has failed to find any sign of the plane since it vanished on Saturday.

Theories about its mysterious disappearance include a structural fault causing explosive decompression, a terrorist attack or pilot suicide.

The transponder - a crucial device that identifies the plane, its position and altitude - stopped working just 40 minutes into Saturday's flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Radar systems engineer Daniel Holland believes it was intentionally disabled.

"The evidence points that way," he said.

"The pilots have never made a 7500 - the international code for 'my plane is hijacked'; it is the pure lack of transponder information (that is suspicious).

"For myself, you would look at the communications panel just behind the throttle quadrant on the Boeing 777 to either switch it off there, or even just removing the fuses."

Mark Weiss, a former commercial pilot now working as an aviation consultant, said he agreed that someone in the cockpit had probably disabled the transponder.

"I don't believe it was an explosive decompression," said Mr Weiss.

"In the US a few years ago we had a Southwest Airlines plane that had an explosive decompression and still maintained the basic structural integrity of the aircraft."

Disabling of the transponder might lend weight to the theory that one of the pilots sabotaged the flight.

However, it is also possible it was turned off for other reasons - for example if it was giving out faulty data.

Malaysia Airlines has opened an investigation into the conduct of one of the pilots, Fariq Abdul Hamid, after pictures emerged of himself with two women he allowed into the cockpit during a flight two years ago.

However, it has said it has "no reason to believe" the pilots had anything to do with the disappearance.

At a news conference on Thursday, Malaysia's transport minister, Hishammudin Hussein, denied reports the homes of crew members had been searched by police.

The plane was last heard from when the pilot responded to a message confirming it was moving from Malaysian to Vietnamese air traffic control.

The pilot replied "Okay, received, goodnight", but Vietnamese officials have said they never heard from flight MH370. 

Not all aviation experts agree that foul play is likely to be to blame for the disappearance.

Dr Colin Brown, director of engineering at Institution of Mechanical Engineers, told Sky he still believes the plane was ripped apart by "explosive decompression".

However, he admitted that the lack of any wreckage or 'black box' signal was hard to make sense of.

"This thing is 300 tons of metal with 239 people on board - I cannot understand how you can hide something that size."

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Ukraine Crisis Talks Fail To Reach Deal

Tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine continue after lengthy talks aimed at defusing the stand-off ended without agreement.

After discussions lasting more than five hours, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would respect the outcome of a controversial breakaway vote in Crimea, which Western powers have branded "illegitimate".

And US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia's approval of the referendum result would amount to "a backdoor annexation of Crimea".

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued this picture of Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov

America and the European Union have warned Russia of sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans unless a planned vote on the southern region joining Russia is called off.

But Mr Lavrov said such measures would be a "counter-productive instrument".

Russian forces moved to seize Crimea within days of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych being forced from office, after three months of demonstrations against a decision to ditch closer ties with the European Union in favour of Russia.

Crimea is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet and the majority of the population are ethnic Russians.

But it has fuelled claims the referendum is being "conducted under the barrel of a gun".

Mr Lavrov compared the situation in Crimea to Britain's action in the Falklands.

He said: "Are there precedents in international law? There are precedents of course.

A soldier, believed to be Russian, on guard at a Ukrainian military base

"Everybody understands that Crimea for Russia is something really important, what it means for Russia.

"It means immeasurably more for Russia than the Falklands means for the United Kingdom or Comoros for France."

Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Lavrov told a news conference: "We have to respect the results of this referendum."

He also rejected Western calls for the creation of an international contact group on the Ukraine to resolve the crisis.

Mr Lavrov insisted Moscow had "no plans of military intrusion into eastern Ukraine" following clashes which left at least one person dead.

A billboard urging people to vote in the referendum on the future of Crimea

But Mr Kerry told journalists the referendum was "illegitimate" and flew in the face of international law.

He said: "Neither we nor the international community will recognise the results of this referendum."

Mr Kerry said no "threats" were being made to Russia about sanctions but there were "consequences for the choices" it makes.

He also stressed the US recognised Moscow had "legitimate interests" in Crimea, which needed to be addressed.

But he said: "We believe that a decision to move forward by Russia to ratify the vote officially within the Duma would in fact be a back-door annexation of Crimea.

"It would be against international law and, frankly, fly in the face of every legitimate effort to try to reach out to Russia and others to say there is a different way to protect the interests of Crimeans, to protect Russia's interests and to respect the integrity of Ukraine and the sovereignty of Ukraine."

John Kerry met William Hague and David Cameron at Downing Street

Foreign Secretary William Hague, who had earlier acknowledged it would be "formidably difficult" for Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov to make progress, called for a "firm and united" response from the European Union.

He described the failure of the talks as "deeply disappointing" and condemned Russia's decision to support Sunday's "illegal, unconstitutional and illegitimate" referendum - which is widely expected to deliver an overwhelming vote to break away from Ukraine.

"The United Kingdom is strongly of the view that there must be a firm and united response from the European Union at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, and that the time has come for tougher restrictive measures to be adopted as previously agreed by EU nations," he said.

"The door remains open for diplomacy and dialogue and we urge the Russian government to take action to lower tensions and enter into direct talks with the Ukrainian government.

"But we are clear that the flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot go unchallenged, and we stand with the Ukrainian people in their right to choose their future free of intimidation and interference."

EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss sanctions, and it is understood ambassadors are meeting in secret session where a list is being drawn up of individuals who could be targeted by measures.

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Crimea Airport Seized By Pro-Russian Forces

Ukrainians In Their Own Words

Updated: 3:20am UK, Sunday 09 March 2014

Three citizens of Ukraine write for Sky News about the sense of dread gripping ordinary people as their country slides towards conflict with its powerful neighbour.

:: Marina's story

"The course of life is the same in the capital of Ukraine. People go to work, visit cafes, cinemas and shopping centres. Public transport operates as normal. No special precautions need to be taken while on the streets.

"But there is a growing feeling that something is going to happen. Politics has become a part of daily life in Ukraine.  People discuss the latest news everywhere - in the streets, on public transport, in cafes, at home and at work. 

"Having lived through these past months, people have hardly had any time to realise what changes had taken place in the country. Hardly any time to mourn over people who perished on streets of Kiev.   

"At present we check news hourly. Everyone shares news, reposts important messages on social platforms, and leaves comments on news sites.

"Ukrainian men of all ages in Kiev and other cities and towns of their own free will are registering at military enlistment offices. The number is more than enough.

"We are facing an information war. The amount of misinformation, misinterpretation of events and barefaced lies from the Russian mass media is staggering and detrimental as the result.

"The news is presented in the most twisted way. It is so unbelievable that it becomes a farce. Ukrainians speak to their family and friends in Russia to try to explain what is really going on in Ukraine.

"Some months ago we thought that our worst enemy on the way to better life and a more prosperous country was the corrupted and vicious president and his environment - but it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"It has been about two weeks since it became known that Russian troops stepped on Crimean soil right after the transitional Ukrainian government was formed.

"It was almost impossible to get rid of the corrupt government, but such a great unity of people, speaking both Russian and Ukrainian from different regions of Ukraine got together and did it.

"It is obvious that Russia has its own interest in Ukraine with Crimea being the pretext. The goal is to destabilise our country, bring chaos and civil unrest and eventually prove to the world that Ukraine is incapable to hold its sovereignty."

:: Nastya's story

"I come from the eastern part of Ukraine, from a city called Sumy, which is 60km from the border with Russia.

"I speak both Russian and Ukrainian, and consider them both my native languages. Never in my life was I humiliated or abused because of speaking Russian. 

"We are used to being bilingual and 99% of the people I personally know support European values, no matter which language they speak.

"The issue of languages and nationalities is just a thing to manipulate us with during the election campaign and sadly now, to draw us into a terrible war which no one needs.

"Both of my grandfathers took part in the Second World War, fighting against German fascists. 

"They are probably turning in their graves because the people they were fighting with shoulder to shoulder against fascists, are now invading our beautiful land and calling us fascists for simply loving our country.

"It's like a bad divorce, when you don't recognise the person you've been living with all you life.

"This situation seems surreal. Germany is trying to convince Russia not to attack Ukraine. It's like a bad dream.

"It's like a bug in the system which prevents it from functioning correctly. It is beyond our understanding and our system of values.

"We are all very scared, too. For our children, our families, our future. We are praying to God to save Ukraine and our people. To make the people who make horrible decisions to come to their senses.

"We are asking the world to help us, because if the evil isn't stopped now, it will be next to impossible to stop it from spreading all over the world."

:: Ivan's story

"Right now the situation in Kiev has certainly cooled off and the main focus is on Crimea.

"During Maidan protests we were advised to avoid Maidan (Independence Square) and the centre of Kiev. Particularly the areas around the centre were very dangerous.

"There were a lot of reports of people just disappearing or being beaten up by 'Berkut' special forces. Former government forces showed their true attitude towards citizens.

"Thugs hired by the former government, people dressed in sports wear that were noticeably well-trained. We call them 'titushki'. Their purpose was to frighten, bully, or simply beat up the peaceful population of the city.

"They walked through police barriers without even a single question asked, while members of the public were not permitted in and did not get any answers as to why that was even allowed.

"As to the pro-Russian mood in the east of the country, people are very proud over there and do not like to be told what to do.

"Through lies and by playing on their feelings (many have families and relatives in Russia) they were duped into believing that Maidan protestors are fascist thugs who will take away their right to speak Russian, which is complete and utter rubbish.

"True, there are people who support partnership with Russia, but what they certainly do not support is Russia's military intervention. They hate the fact that Putin decided that we aren't capable of solving our own problems.

"The majority of people have changed their mindset and want our country to embrace other values, different to the values of a post Soviet bloc country.

"And that makes Putin go mad. He lost his grip on us - his puppet is no longer our president and, believe me, no one in southeast Ukraine or in Crimea is crying crocodile tears over him.

"I can assure you that people from both sides agree that Yanukovich is corrupt, incompetent and, frankly speaking, stupid."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Malaysia Jet Search Scaled Back By Vietnam

Missing Plane: 13 Things You Need To Know

Updated: 10:52pm UK, Tuesday 11 March 2014

As the search for Flight MH370 continues, we answer 13 questions about the disappearance and what could have happened.

When did the plane disappear?

Flight MH370 vanished from radars early on Saturday, an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. When it last made contact, the jet was cruising at 35,000 feet over the South China Sea. There are reports that the plane tried to turn around but this would give rise to the question: why didn't the pilot communicate this decision to air traffic control? Meanwhile, at an undisclosed time a relative reportedly managed to call one of the passengers. Investigators have repeatedly tried to call the same number without success.

:: Sky News will be showing a 12-minute special report on the story so far of the missing flight MH370 at 2.30pm.

Who was on board?

The plane's manifest contained 12 crew from Malaysia and 227 passengers from 14 different countries: 153 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French, three Americans, two each from Iran (both travelling on fake passports), New Zealand, Ukraine and Canada, and 1 each from Russia, Taiwan and Netherlands. Among the passengers was a 19-strong group of prominent artists returning from an exhibition in Malaysia. It is also known that five children - aged two to four - were on board. The oldest person on the plane was 79.

What are the main theories?

Mechanical error remains the most likely explanation. Poor conditions and strong turbulence always have to be considered, but weather conditions were good in this instance. Four areas of investigation are focused on the possibility of human involvement: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems or personal problems with passengers or crew.

Could there have been a mechanical error?

Inquiries into Air France flight 447 that dived into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing 228 people, blamed both technical and human error. However, in the event of engine failure, a plane such as the Boeing 777-200 could glide for 80-90 miles (128-145km), giving the pilot time to issue a distress signal. The descent would also have been traced by radars. The lack of any Mayday makes an explosion a possibility.

Could the plane have broken up in the air?

The apparent lack of wreckage from MH370 does point to a high-altitude disaster. In such an event the debris would be spread far and wide, making it difficult to find. A smaller field would indicate the plane probably fell intact, breaking up on impact with the water. In the event of a sudden loss of pressure due to a window blowing out the crew would dive the plane in order to lose altitude - but this would not cause the plane to disintegrate.

The plane's safety record?

Sudden, accidental, structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today's passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet. One of the missing plane's wingtips was clipped in an incident while taxiing in 2012 but it was repaired and certified as safe.

Could it have been a terrorist attack or hijacking?

In the event of a hijacker trying to enter the cockpit, a pilot can send a secret distress code - something that wasn't done on Flight MH370. The profiles of all 239 passengers are being checked against databases worldwide but the terrorism theory was weakened on Tuesday when Malaysian police confirmed it had identified the two passengers who were travelling on fake passports. Both were said to be seeking asylum in Europe. In the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, claims of responsibility came soon after the disaster - but no one has come forward to claim the Malaysia incident as their attack.

Human error?

The 53-year-old pilot was very experienced, having amassed more than 18,000 flying hours since being employed by the airline in 1981. However, in Indonesia in 2007, Adam Air flight 574 disappeared with 102 passengers during a domestic flight, where the authorities found the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment. Former Navy pilot Dr Simon Mitchell told Sky News: "We've expended billions of dollars on developing very sophisticated aids to make the life of the pilot safer and more straightforward, but there are still opportunities whereby mistakes can be made."

Why was there no distress signal?

One explanation is that the plane fell into a communications black spot. Former Boeing 777 instructor and United Airlines captain Ross Aimer explained: "These are very sophisticated (items of) equipment that should have been working under any conditions - in the water, in the jungle, after a fire, after an explosion - and none of them have talked to the outside world yet. There are spots in the world, however, that are called blind spots, where you cannot communicate for some reason. Unfortunately, that area near Vietnam, over the Gulf of Thailand, those are some of the black spots."

Where is the search taking place?

Nine aircraft and 24 ships are currently taking part in the search in the seas off Vietnam and Malaysia. Search teams from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand and the US are assisting. Officials said on Tuesday that the search was being conducted on both sides of Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula. The search area has been expanded from 50 nautical miles from where the plane disappeared - over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam - to 100 nautical miles (115 miles; 185km). This expansion was a result of a new report from the Malaysian military, who say they tracked the plane in the Strait of Malacca - a long distance from where it last made contact - in the hours following its disappearance.

Why has no wreckage been found?

Whatever caused the apparent crash, there would be some debris - but it could take a while to find. It took two years to find the main wreckage of Air France flight 447 in 2009.  In 2007, in the case of the Adam Air flight, it was a week before an Indonesian naval vessel detected metal on the ocean floor. It was a further two weeks before the US Navy picked up signals from the flight data and cockpit recorders and seven months for the recorder to be recovered. If the plane had crashed on land, chances are the wreckage would have been found by now. At sea, much of the plane would have sunk, but some debris should remain on the surface. Worryingly, the longer the search takes the harder it becomes as the wind and tide spread any debris further from the initial crash zone.

Could the 'black box' provide answers?

As well as wreckage, search teams are looking for the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) - though these do not always work if a plane hits water. However, attached to the plane's black box is a device known as a pinger. This can emit radio signals deep under water for up to 30 days - or 40 days in warm water.

Has a plane ever simply vanished?

Since the start of the jet age in the 1950s, nearly every major aircraft that disappeared was found - eventually - and the rare exceptions did not involve passengers. In September 1990, a Boeing 727 plunged into the North Atlantic after running out of fuel. The accident was attributed to poor pilot planning and the wreck was never recovered. Another Boeing 727 transporting diesel to diamond mines in Africa took off without clearance and with its transponder turned off. It is believed to have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Ukraine Crisis: 'Shots Fired By Russian Troops'

Ukrainians In Their Own Words

Updated: 3:20am UK, Sunday 09 March 2014

Three citizens of Ukraine write for Sky News about the sense of dread gripping ordinary people as their country slides towards conflict with its powerful neighbour.

:: Marina's story

"The course of life is the same in the capital of Ukraine. People go to work, visit cafes, cinemas and shopping centres. Public transport operates as normal. No special precautions need to be taken while on the streets.

"But there is a growing feeling that something is going to happen. Politics has become a part of daily life in Ukraine.  People discuss the latest news everywhere - in the streets, on public transport, in cafes, at home and at work. 

"Having lived through these past months, people have hardly had any time to realise what changes had taken place in the country. Hardly any time to mourn over people who perished on streets of Kiev.   

"At present we check news hourly. Everyone shares news, reposts important messages on social platforms, and leaves comments on news sites.

"Ukrainian men of all ages in Kiev and other cities and towns of their own free will are registering at military enlistment offices. The number is more than enough.

"We are facing an information war. The amount of misinformation, misinterpretation of events and barefaced lies from the Russian mass media is staggering and detrimental as the result.

"The news is presented in the most twisted way. It is so unbelievable that it becomes a farce. Ukrainians speak to their family and friends in Russia to try to explain what is really going on in Ukraine.

"Some months ago we thought that our worst enemy on the way to better life and a more prosperous country was the corrupted and vicious president and his environment - but it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"It has been about two weeks since it became known that Russian troops stepped on Crimean soil right after the transitional Ukrainian government was formed.

"It was almost impossible to get rid of the corrupt government, but such a great unity of people, speaking both Russian and Ukrainian from different regions of Ukraine got together and did it.

"It is obvious that Russia has its own interest in Ukraine with Crimea being the pretext. The goal is to destabilise our country, bring chaos and civil unrest and eventually prove to the world that Ukraine is incapable to hold its sovereignty."

:: Nastya's story

"I come from the eastern part of Ukraine, from a city called Sumy, which is 60km from the border with Russia.

"I speak both Russian and Ukrainian, and consider them both my native languages. Never in my life was I humiliated or abused because of speaking Russian. 

"We are used to being bilingual and 99% of the people I personally know support European values, no matter which language they speak.

"The issue of languages and nationalities is just a thing to manipulate us with during the election campaign and sadly now, to draw us into a terrible war which no one needs.

"Both of my grandfathers took part in the Second World War, fighting against German fascists. 

"They are probably turning in their graves because the people they were fighting with shoulder to shoulder against fascists, are now invading our beautiful land and calling us fascists for simply loving our country.

"It's like a bad divorce, when you don't recognise the person you've been living with all you life.

"This situation seems surreal. Germany is trying to convince Russia not to attack Ukraine. It's like a bad dream.

"It's like a bug in the system which prevents it from functioning correctly. It is beyond our understanding and our system of values.

"We are all very scared, too. For our children, our families, our future. We are praying to God to save Ukraine and our people. To make the people who make horrible decisions to come to their senses.

"We are asking the world to help us, because if the evil isn't stopped now, it will be next to impossible to stop it from spreading all over the world."

:: Ivan's story

"Right now the situation in Kiev has certainly cooled off and the main focus is on Crimea.

"During Maidan protests we were advised to avoid Maidan (Independence Square) and the centre of Kiev. Particularly the areas around the centre were very dangerous.

"There were a lot of reports of people just disappearing or being beaten up by 'Berkut' special forces. Former government forces showed their true attitude towards citizens.

"Thugs hired by the former government, people dressed in sports wear that were noticeably well-trained. We call them 'titushki'. Their purpose was to frighten, bully, or simply beat up the peaceful population of the city.

"They walked through police barriers without even a single question asked, while members of the public were not permitted in and did not get any answers as to why that was even allowed.

"As to the pro-Russian mood in the east of the country, people are very proud over there and do not like to be told what to do.

"Through lies and by playing on their feelings (many have families and relatives in Russia) they were duped into believing that Maidan protestors are fascist thugs who will take away their right to speak Russian, which is complete and utter rubbish.

"True, there are people who support partnership with Russia, but what they certainly do not support is Russia's military intervention. They hate the fact that Putin decided that we aren't capable of solving our own problems.

"The majority of people have changed their mindset and want our country to embrace other values, different to the values of a post Soviet bloc country.

"And that makes Putin go mad. He lost his grip on us - his puppet is no longer our president and, believe me, no one in southeast Ukraine or in Crimea is crying crocodile tears over him.

"I can assure you that people from both sides agree that Yanukovich is corrupt, incompetent and, frankly speaking, stupid."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Ukraine: Nato Planes To Monitor Russian Military

Crimea Crisis: A Ukrainian Voice From Kiev

Updated: 1:48pm UK, Monday 10 March 2014

We Ukrainians are shocked at the blatant and cynical lies Russian President Vladimir Putin and his propaganda war machine are spouting.

In terms of the legitimacy of our government - it is an interim government, and on May 25 a new president will be elected by the will of Ukrainian citizens. The future president will appoint ministers.

The corrupt, criminal regime could not be tolerated any more.

It was not some fascist coup that removed President Viktor Yanukovych.

It was a pan-Ukrainian uprising carried out by students, farmers, teachers, blue- and white-collar workers, entrepreneurs, pensioners, medics, war veterans and even pupils.

Activists came from all corners of Ukraine, including eastern and southern Ukraine and Crimea.

Our former president was and still is Mr Putin's puppet.

He acted in Russian interests and was preparing Ukraine for a "soft invasion".

He continued the contract for a Russian fleet in Crimea, ravaged our military forces and brought a halt to our military industry.

One of Mr Putin's biggest lies is his claim neo-fascists are running amok, looting and killing everyone.

I have walked through the streets of Kiev many times, including the central districts late in the evening and I am yet to see one of Mr Putin's fictitious balaclava-clad thugs robbing somebody or starting a fire or trying to kill a pro-Russian supporter.

The irony is Kiev has a lion's share of Russian-speaking residents.

The Russian Government is intentionally using the terms "Russian speaker", "ethnic Russian" and "Russian citizen" to confuse the situation.

There are only a handful of Russian citizens in Ukraine - some 17% of Ukrainian citizens (including Crimea) are ethnic Russians and almost half of the country speak Russian. That is the legacy of three-and-a-half centuries of a co-existence of two peoples.

But if half of Ukraine speaks Russian it doesn't mean they want to be under Russian rule. On the contrary, the majority in eastern Ukraine are strongly against annexing to the Russian Federation.

The very principle of "protecting Russian speakers" is a very crooked one.

Maybe Ukraine should invade Moscow because there are up to two million ethnic Ukrainians living there?

Maybe Mexico should annex California since there are lot of Mexican living there, or France should invade Canada due to Quebec tensions?

While the crisis continues, Ukrainians try to go about their daily lives and it is business as usual for most.

People go to work in the morning, pay their taxes, public services function normally, shops and banks are open (near Maidan Square in Kiev as well), bills are paid and so on.

Couples go on walks in the evenings. Cinemas and theatres are visited as usual. Some people may think about stocking food, but supermarkets are full of food, there is absolutely no panic-buying.

Nevertheless, the psychological impact of the crisis on people is evident - and there remains a tension in the air following last month's revolution.

Everybody talks about looming war. There's no panic, but the anxiety is everywhere.

Men contemplate the possibility of being called to active duty, while women cry when they think of their sons, husbands and brothers going to war.

Our morale is high. We are a strong freedom-loving and valorous people. We are determined to defend ourselves.

Recent events have shown cameras are a more powerful weapon in the 21st century than Kalashnikovs.

Russia is using every trick in the book to provoke Ukraine and to justify military aggression.

In southern and eastern regions (and in Crimea itself) there are thousands of Russian and Russian-hired agent-provocateurs - thugs to stir up tension and give the impression that those regions are eager to be under Russian control.

There are also a lot of actors: one day you see them as indigenous Kharkiv citizens protesting against the repression of Russian-speaking people, and the next, you see them in Odessa where they are local women telling of the Ukrainian persecution of Russians.

There are also lots of transported Russian Cossacks in Crimea that are extremely aggressive.

These so-called Cossacks have nothing to do with real Ukrainian Cossacks and are Mr Putin's "Einsatzgruppe".

We saw them in action when they whipped members of Russian protest group Pussy Riot in Sochi.

In addition, Serbian Chetniks have joined these Russian Cossacks to patrol Crimea.

These young boys and men without insignia have been sent by their blood-thirsty government intentionally as cannon fodder to be killed by Ukrainian militaries.

But Ukraine is a very peaceful country and hasn't fallen for this provocation.

These unmarked soldiers have told locals that they were woken up in the middle of the night, had their IDs and mobile phones taken away and transported to Crimea. Even their own parents are not aware of where their sons are.

We Ukrainians do hope the US and Europe will help us militarily if all-out war breaks out.

We will fight till our last breath, but Russia is too powerful. We will not win without the West's help.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Aircraft Passengers' Families Demand Answers

Chinese families whose relatives were on a missing jet hope to travel to Kuala Lumpur to get more information about what happened.

Some relatives have been upset at the lack of information from the airline

The group of 50 want Malaysia Airlines to pay for their flights but the company has said they will not do so until they know what happened to the aircraft.

The Boeing 777 travelling from the city to Beijing lost contact with the ground early on Saturday morning (local time) off Vietnam's south coast without the pilots sending a distress signal.

Some debris which could be from the plane has been spotted from the air as a major international search continues.

A sandsculpture in India wishing for the well being of the passengers

A representative of the families has compiled a statement signed by the families which made three demands from the authorities.

First, requesting Malaysia Airlines "to publicise the truth about the event by 1700 Beijing time (0900GMT)".

Second, urging the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pay more attention to the case and help solve it.

Third, asking the Chinese government "to assign its officials to coordinate with the family members of the passengers of the missing flight and take unified action in negotiating with the Malaysian side."

A relative's picture of her stepbrother and his wife who were on the flight

But other relatives do not want to go to Malaysia.

"Of course I am not going to get a passport; what for? To go to Malaysia to do what? To stare at the sea?" shouted Wang Aihua, the mother of Cheng Xudong, who was on the Malaysian Airplane.

A Malaysia Airlines spokesman has said the families should "expect the worst" as the search operation continued in the Gulf of Thailand, between Vietnam and Malaysia.

Tearful families in Beijing have been told to expect the worst

There were 239 people on board the flight. The passengers were mostly from China and Malaysia, with a handful from America, Australia, India, France, Indonesia, Ukraine and other countries.

"I can only pray for a miracle," said Daniel Liau, a colleague of acclaimed Chinese calligrapher Meng Gaosheng, who was on the flight with 18 other artists, six family members and four staff.

"I feel very sad. Even though I knew them for a short time, they have become my friends," Liau added.

For Australian grandparents Robert Lawton, 58, and his wife, Catherine, 54, the routine takeoff of flight MH-370 was the beginning of another adventure.

Some families have asked for more support from Beijing

"They mentioned in passing they were going on another big trip and they were really excited," one of their neighbours told ABC Australia.

Sharing their adventure was another 50-something Australian couple, Rodney and Mary Burrows. Neighbour Don Stokes said the trip was to be the beginning of the "next step in their life."

Also on board were teenage sweethearts Hadrien Wattrelos, 17, and Zhao Yan, 18, students at a French school in Beijing who were returning from a two-week holiday with Hadrien's mother and younger sister.

Under Zhao's Facebook picture of her and Hadrien he had commented: "Je t'aime," followed by a heart, and she had "liked" his comment.

While expecting the worst, colleagues of 50-year-old Indian passenger Chandrika Sharma were still optimistic.

"There must still be hope," said a colleague, before adding: "She was friendly and very loveable, very industrious and astute. We will miss her."

For 24-year-old Firman Chandra Siregar from Indonesia, the flight was a new chapter. In Beijing, he was about to begin a new contract with an oil company.

Tearful relatives and neighbours gathered at his family's home, praying or watching news of the search operation, while at the same time realising there is little hope of him being round alive.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Malaysia Airlines Missing Plane 'Unprecedented'

What Happened To Malaysia Plane?

Updated: 4:34am UK, Sunday 09 March 2014

A "very sudden and very violent" event is likely to be responsible for the loss of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, according to aviation experts.

The aircraft was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when air traffic control lost contact some two hours into the flight.

No distress calls were sent from the aircraft, leading experts to assume that whatever happened to the plane occurred quickly and left the pilots little time to respond.

"Either you had a catastrophic event that tore the airplane apart, or you had a criminal act," said Scott Hamilton, the managing director of aviation consultancy Leeham Co.

"It was so quick and they didn't radio."

The plane is suspected to have suffered a sudden break-up, or a failure which caused a steep dive. Some experts say an act of terrorism may also be responsible.

William Waldock, who teaches accident investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, said the absence of a distress call "suggests something very sudden and very violent happened".

One of the first indicators of what exactly occurred on Flight MH370 will be the size of the debris field.

If it is large and spread out over tens of miles, then the plane likely broke apart at a high elevation. That could signal a bomb or a massive airframe failure.

If it is a smaller field, the plane probably fell from 35,000 feet intact, breaking up upon contact with the water.

Captain John M Cox, the CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said whatever took place occurred very quickly.

"We know the airplane is down. Beyond that, we don't know a whole lot," he said.

Airplane crashes typically occur during take-off and the climb away from an airport, or while coming in for a landing.

Only 9% of fatal accidents happen when a plane is at cruising altitude, according to a statistical summary of commercial jet airplane accidents done by Boeing.

Aviation expert David Learmount told Sky News the Boeing 777-222 had an "absolutely superb" safety record.

"Aviation safety now is quite extraordinarily good. It's far better than it was 20-30 years ago - I mean massively better," he said.

"That's why things like this are so surprising. They just should not happen any longer."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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