Russian minister says Ukraine responsible for Malaysian jet - Interfax

A piece of wreckage of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo) in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine September 9, 2014. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu blamed Ukraine on Wednesday for the downing of the Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine and was quoted as saying the tragedy would never have happened if Kiev had not taken up arms. "The catastrophe happened in the air space belonging to Ukraine, which bears full responsibility for what happened," he was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. A report by the Dutch Safety Board said on Tuesday the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 broke apart over Ukraine due to the impact from a large number of fragments. (Reporting by Polina Devitt, editing by Elizabeth Piper)