My gut feeling is the same a Jorge's..I doubt Putin ever gave a direct order and is probably ready to string somebody up over this..
That said, we need to let the investigation take place and follow the hard evidence. There are crazies on both sides over there, and there are definately those with a lot to gain if they managed to frame the Russians..
Crazies...Pete, they are all a pack of lunatics and every single one is armed to the teeth and looking for targets, and any pilot that takes a plane within range of the place is committing suicide.
The blame for this lays squarely at the feet of the dills that put the plane and passengers in that predicament.
It is a war zone.
I'm in total agreement with you two worshippers of the Queen. it is and was a warzone, and has been for a spell.
to send commercial flights over the area was a dereliction of duty by someone, even if someone else actually shot the plane down. the message is that someone in the process of acceptable risk-taking was asleep at the wheel.
stage left, enter the early adoption of "new" technology that could have saved us all, that is, a laser on the commercial jet-liner. if only......
