# Did anyone see this absurd report from Russian TV?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-see-this-absurd-report-from-russian-tv/704756>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 16, 2014, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-see-this-absurd-report-from-russian-tv/704756 "2014-11-16T09:42:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![David\_R\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@David\_R\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_R_2)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2014, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-see-this-absurd-report-from-russian-tv/704756/1 "2014-11-16T09:42:13Z")

</div>

> **[Web users debunk Russian TV's MH17 claim](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30064374)**
>
> Russian TV claims it has proof that Ukraine downed MH17, but online users say it is nothing but a crude fake.

If it was so tragic it would be hilarious. Surely _even_ the Russians _must_ have known that this would attract scrutiny from a huge number of people who do know what a 777 looks like. Yet they spew it out, and manage to keep a straight face. But they had a lot of practice, the Russian media have done that for the past 100 years, and before that it was Czar’s secret police who made sure everyone “knew the truth”, as the Czar saw it that is.

David

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-see-this-absurd-report-from-russian-tv/704756/2 "2014-11-16T11:31:26Z")

</div>

**Moderator Action**

I don’t see a factual question here.

It’s a little difficult for me to figure out your intent with this post. This doesn’t clearly seek other opinions for IMHO, and is too mild for the Pit. So, let’s try MPSIMS for now. It may end up elsewhere depending on how the thread progresses.

Moving thread from General Questions to Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-see-this-absurd-report-from-russian-tv/704756/3 "2014-11-16T11:48:35Z")

</div>

I’m dumbfounded as well. It’s the kind of mistake a fourth-grade boy makes when he’s been caught out in a lie about some mischief or other.

Well, at least they cleared up any doubts about the guilty party – for anyone who still had harbored such doubts. (I realize there is still some question about the ratio of “direct Russian involvement” vs. “local separatist initiative,” but the overall gist is now clearer than ever.)