MH17 The West may like to think of Russia President Vladimir Putin as a villain but the former spy is not to be blamed for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Lyudmila G Vorobyeva made this point when asked to respond to family members of victims on board the ill-fated Flight MH17 blaming Putin for the disaster.
She said it was "wrong" for families to blame Putin (right) but the reaction was understandable.
“There is anger when you lose someone you love, that is very understandable, you want to blame someone for this loss.
"It is an easy solution to channel this anger to one person that is very much demonised in the mainstream Western media," Vorobyeva
told a press conference at the Russian embassy in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
Western nations have blamed Moscow's arming of separatists in Eastern Ukraine, which led to the destabilisation of the region and subsequent downing of Flight MH17.
Russia has vehemently denied any role in the downing of the aircraft , including supplying anti-aircraft weapons to the separatists.
Vorobyeva said she sympathised with the loved ones of the 298 victims.
"As a woman and a mother, I cannot describe how sorry I am and the deep sympathy I feel," she said, appearing teary-eyed.
Putin is often depicted like a larger-than-life figure in Russia, spawningInternet memes such as images of the president wrestling with bears or horse-riding in military fatigues.
However, beyond Russia, the West has blamed him for souring ties in recent times after he rose to the presidency once again in 2012.
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