The destruction of a Malaysian Airlines aircraft by rebels in eastern Ukraine is more than just a loss of innocent lives. The incident and the response to it illustrate the gulf between Russia and the West, and the conflicting views of Vladimir Putin During the afternoon of Monday, 21 July, New York time, something unexpected happened. The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, raised his hand in favour of a Security Council resolution on the downing of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft over eastern Ukraine four days before.Russia did not use its veto; it did not abstain; it did not produce any self-exculpatory bluster. It contributed to a unanimous vote for a 14-point resolution, tabled by Australia, that condemned “in the strongest terms” the bringing down