Fidel Castro blames Ukrainian government for taking down plane

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Fidel Castro blames Ukrainian government for taking down plane
July 19, 2014 · By Staff Writer · 1 Comment    Next Article »
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HAVANA, (Reuters) – Former Cuban President Fidel Castro blamed the “warmonger” government of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for shooting down a Malay-sian airliner with 298 people on board over eastern Ukraine.

World leaders are demanding an international investigation into Thurs-day’s tragedy, which could mark a pivotal moment in the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

While U.S. officials suspect it was downed by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile fired by Moscow-backed Ukrainian separatists, Castro blamed the other side in the Ukrainian conflict.

“Cuba … cannot go without expressing its repudiation over the action of such an anti-Russian, anti-Ukrainian and pro-imperialist government,” the retired revolutionary wrote in a 270-word article published in official Cuban media yesterday.

Castro, 87, retired for health reasons in 2008 after 49 years as leader of communist Cuba, which was a close ally of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.

There was a rift between Havana and Moscow following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Cuba has again grown close to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Castro last Friday during his state visit to the island.