Malaysian Airlines MH17 was shot down in 2014. An extensive Dutch investigation concluded that it had been hit by a Russian built Buk missile. The Russians claimed that it was shot down by a Ukrainian air force pilot, Capt Vladyslav Voloshy. Capt Voloshy has now been found dead in what might prove suspicious circumstances.
Despite “reports say” he shot himself, it is not entirely clear yet what happened.
Recently the 29-year-old had been in charge of the Mykolaiv airport, after resigning from the air force. The southern city near Odessa is called Nikolayev by Russian speakers.
A statement from Mykolaiv police on Facebook (in Ukrainian) described Voloshyn's death as "suicide", but it is being investigated under the "premeditated murder" section of Ukraine's penal code.
A military service pistol was found at the scene and is now being examined by experts.
A quick reminder about the recent history of Odessa from Wiki.
The city has seen violence in the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine during 2014 Odessa clashes. The 2 May 2014 Odessa clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protestors killed 42 people. Four were killed during the protests, and at least 32 trade unionists were killed after a trade union building was set on fire and its exits blocked by Ukrainian nationalists. Polls conducted from September to December 2014 found no support for joining Russia[20]
Odessa was struck by three bomb blasts in December 2014, one of which killed one person (the injuries sustained by the victim indicated that he had dealt with explosives). Internal Affairs Ministry advisor Zorian Shkiryak said on 25 December that Odessa and Kharkiv had become "cities which are being used to escalate tensions" in Ukraine. Shkiryak said that he suspected that these cities were singled out because of their "geographic position". On 5 January 2015 the city's Euromaidan Coordination Center and a cargo train car were (non-lethally) bombed.