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The first remains recovered from Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane that crashed in Ukraine last week are to be flown to the Netherlands for identification.
The Netherlands is holding a day of mourning for the 298 killed in the July 17 crash, 193 of whom were Dutch.
Meanwhile, US intelligence officials say pro-Russian rebels shot down the jet by mistake, but they have not found any direct link to Russia.
The plane crashed in a rebel-held area after apparently being hit by a rocket.
A refrigerated train carriage carrying about 200 bodies from the crash site arrived in the government-held city of Kharkiv on Tuesday.
About 50 coffins were laid out at the airport on Wednesday morning in preparation for the flight.
Investigators said they would continue to search the crash site for more bodies.
The first remains recovered from MH17 plane that crashed in Ukraine are to be flown to the Netherlands for identification
The first bodies from flight MH17 are due to arrive in Eindhoven at 16:00 local time after a farewell ceremony attended by Ukrainian officials in Kharkiv.
Members of the Dutch royal family and PM Mark Rutte will meet the plane.
The bodies are then due to be taken to the Korporaal van Oudheusden barracks for identification.
Mark Rutte said that process could take months.
In a separate process, the “black box” flight-data recorders from MH17 have been handed to Dutch authorities by Malaysian officials.
The devices will be sent to Farnborough in the UK for analysis.
In Washington, officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence presented evidence they had gathered on the involvement of the rebels.
“It’s a solid case that it’s an SA-11 [missile] that was fired from eastern Ukraine under conditions the Russians helped create,” said the officials, who requested that their names not be reported.
They said the “most plausible explanation” for the shooting down of the plane was that rebels mistook it for another aircraft.
The evidence they presented included:
- Satellite images of a facility allegedly used to train rebels near the Russian city of Rostov
- Other images purportedly showing a surface-to-air missile launcher in the area
- Analysis of voice recordings of pro-Russian rebels apparently admitting bringing the airliner down
- Photos and messages from social-media sites pointing to rebel involvement
The US and other nations have accused rebels of blocking access to the crash site, putting valuable evidence at risk.
In Australia, former President Bill Clinton paid tribute to six HIV/Aids campaigners who were on board MH17.
Bill Clinton said their lives had been “overpowering in their contribution to a shared future”.
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Ukrainian separatists have handed over two flight-data recorders from the downed MH17 plane to Malaysian experts.
The handover came hours after the UN Security Council voted unanimously to demand immediate international access to the crash site.
EU foreign ministers will consider more sanctions against Russia on Tuesday.
The Malaysian Airlines passenger jet crashed last Thursday, killing all 298 people on board.
Western nations say there is growing evidence that flight MH17 was hit by a Russian-supplied missile fired by rebels, but Russia has suggested Ukrainian government forces are to blame.
EU foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels, are thought likely to discuss expanding the list of Russian officials targeted by sanctions, but have so far steered clear of targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy.
Both the EU and the US imposed sanctions on Moscow following its annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian separatists have handed over two flight-data recorders from the downed MH17 plane to Malaysian experts
Experts say the “black boxes” will reveal the exact time of the incident and the altitude and precise position of the aircraft.
They should also contain the cockpit voice recorder, which it is hoped will provide clues as to what the cause of the crash was.
The head of the Malaysian delegation at the handover in Donetsk told reporters that the recorders were “in good condition”.
The handover followed talks between the rebel commander and self-styled Prime Minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic Alexander Borodai and the Malaysian PM Najib Razak, according to a statement of Najib Razak.
The Malaysian prime minister also said those talks led to the rebels agreeing to allow the bodies to be transported to Kharkiv and international investigators to access the area.
“In recent days, there were times I wanted to give greater voice to the anger and grief that the Malaysian people feel and that I feel,” he said.
“But sometimes, we must work quietly in the service of a better outcome.”
Pro-Russian rebels allowed a freight train carrying the bodies of 282 passengers to be moved from a town near the crash site to Donetsk on Monday.
The Malaysian experts and a Dutch delegation are travelling with the train to the city of Kharkiv, where it is expected to arrive later on Tuesday.
From there, the bodies will be prepared for transfer by air to the Netherlands where forensic experts will evaluate and identify them.
Meanwhile a UN resolution, proposed by Australia, was passed calling for a “full, thorough and independent international investigation” into the downing of the plane over Grabove on July 17.
It also demanded that those responsible “be held to account and that all states co-operate fully with efforts to establish accountability”.
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The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution demanding access to Malaysia Airlines plane crash site in the rebel-held area in eastern Ukraine.
Pro-Russian separatists earlier allowed bodies from the Malaysia Airlines crash to be taken to the city of Kharkiv and handed over to international experts.
Western nations say the rebels struck MH17 with a Russian-supplied missile, killing all 298 people on board.
Meanwhile, the main rebel-held city of Donetsk has seen heavy clashes.
Eyewitnesses say there is violence near the city’s airport and the railway station.
The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution demanding access to Malaysia Airlines plane crash site in the rebel-held area in eastern Ukraine (photo RT)
The fighting in eastern Ukraine erupted in April and is believed to have claimed more than 1,000 lives.
The UN resolution, proposed by Australia, calls for a “full, thorough and independent international investigation” into the downing of the plane over Grabove on July 17.
It also demands that those responsible “be held to account and that all states co-operate fully with efforts to establish accountability”.
“We owe it to the victims and their families to determine what happened and who was responsible,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the meeting in New York.
All 15 council members, including Russia, voted in favor.
However, Russia’s envoy, Vitaly Churkin, warned that the Security Council should avoid jumping to conclusions about the cause of the crash.
UK’s PM David Cameron earlier said there was strong evidence that pro-Russian separatists shot down the plane with an anti-aircraft system known as Buk.
Russia denied allegations that it had supplied such missiles or “any other weapons” to the rebels.
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Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have allowed Dutch investigators to examine bodies from the crashed Malaysia Airlines plane at a railway station.
The three Dutch experts said the train might leave the town of Torez later.
All 298 people on board flight MH17 died when it crashed over the rebel-held area on July 17. The US and other nations say there is growing evidence of Russian complicity in the crash.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting is reported in the main rebel-held city of Donetsk.
The clashes – involving heavy weapons – are continuing near the city’s airport and the railway station, eyewitnesses say.
At least three civilians were reported killed, and one multi-storey building was seen on fire.
The Dutch experts from the Disaster Victims Identification team are the first international investigators to arrive in the region where the Boeing 777 went down after being reportedly hit by a missile.
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have been at the accident site, but their access to the wreckage was limited by the rebels.
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have allowed Dutch investigators to examine bodies from the crashed Malaysia Airlines plane at a railway station
On Monday, the Dutch experts examined some of the 196 bodies kept in refrigerator wagons in Torez, some 9 miles away from the crash site.
“I think the storage of the bodies is of good quality,” team leader Peter van Leit said after the inspection.
The investigators added that they had urged the rebels to allow the train to leave.
Correspondents in Torez said the smell of decay emanating from the carriages was overwhelming.
The Dutch experts also later visited the crash site, where some passengers’ remains were still lying in bags exposed to summer heat.
Russia’s media fears MH17 will shape future diplomacy.
“The situation surrounding the Malaysian Boeing 777 shot down over Ukraine is becoming a key factor in world politics,” says business daily Kommersant.
However, Russian liberal thrice-weekly Novaya Gazeta diverts from the party line today: “There is practically no doubt that the airliner was shot down by the separatists.”
Ukraine’s press continues to accuse Moscow. Popular tabloid Segodnya leads with “Ukraine has enough evidence of Russia’s guilt”.
Russian and Ukraine media agree on the further souring of relations.
Business daily Capital says: “The downing of the airliner in Donbas turns the regional conflict into an international one. Peace will not come soon.”
A Malaysian team of 133 officials and experts, comprising of search and recovery personnel, forensics experts, technical and medical experts has arrived in Ukraine. A separate UK group of air accident investigators is also there.
However, the government in Kiev says it has been unable to establish a safe corridor to the crash site.
There has been international outcry over the way rebels have handled the situation, delaying access to the site and allowing untrained volunteers to comb through the area.
The rebels have said they will hand over MH17’s flight recorders to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but the US state department has accused rebels of tampering with other potential evidence.
Heavy machinery could be seen moving plane debris at the crash site on Sunday.
Russia again on Monday denied allegations it supplied the separatists with an anti-aircraft system known as Buk that was allegedly used to shoot down flight MH17.
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According to new reports, the remains of up to 196 people from Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash in Ukraine have been loaded on to refrigerated rail wagons, to be taken to an unknown destination.
All 298 people on board of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 died when a missile reportedly hit the plane on July 17.
Western countries have criticized pro-Russian rebels controlling the area for restricting access to the crash site.
The rebels say they will hand MH17’s flight recorders to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Ukraine’s government and the rebels have accused each other of shooting down the Boeing 777, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
The remains of up to 196 people from Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash have been loaded on to refrigerated rail wagons, to be taken to an unknown destination
The US state department said there had been multiple reports of bodies and aircraft parts being removed, and potential evidence tampered with, by rebels.
Heavy machinery could be seen moving plane debris around at the crash site, AP news agency reported.
Separately, UK broadcaster Sky News apologized after one of its presenters was shown going through items in a suitcase belonging to one of the passengers.
Fighting is reportedly continuing in eastern Ukraine between the separatist rebels and government forces in a conflict which erupted in April and is believed to have claimed more than 1,000 lives.
The freight train with its five sealed wagons has been standing at Torez railway station, 9 miles from the crash site.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission in the region said in a tweet it had been told that 196 bodies were on the rail wagons in Torez.
An OSCE team was allowed to see three of the wagons and observed “tagged body bags”, without being able to verify the figures. It’s not clear where the train will take the bodies.
In a mark of respect to the dead, Malaysia Airline says it is retiring the MH17 flight number. The airline did the same for MH370, which disappeared in March with 239 passengers and crew on board.
Russia denies any involvement in the downing of the Malaysian plane, and has rejected Western allegations that it is stoking the Ukraine conflict.
The passenger list released by Malaysia Airlines shows the plane was carrying 193 Dutch nationals (including one with dual US nationality), 43 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians and 10 Britons (including one with dual South African nationality), four Germans, four Belgians, three from the Philippines, and one each from Canada and New Zealand.
Memorial services and vigils have been held in many countries, including Australia, Malaysia and the Netherlands.
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Russia has been asked by the western countries to put pressure on Ukrainian rebels to allow unhindered access to the site of Thursday’s Malaysia Airlines crash.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte said he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that time was “running out” to show he could help. Most crash victims were Dutch.
The US and Britain also told Russia full access to the area was needed.
Memorial services are being held in Australia, with more planned in other countries later on Sunday.
In Melbourne, a special mass was held for the HIV experts and campaigners on the flight who were making their way to the city for an international AIDS conference.
The passenger list released by Malaysia Airlines shows the plane was carrying 193 Dutch nationals (including one with dual US nationality), 43 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians and 10 Britons (including one with dual South African nationality), 4 Germans, 4 Belgians, three from the Philippines, and one each from Canada and New Zealand.
Both Ukraine and the pro-Russian rebels have accused each other of shooting down the Boeing 777, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Flight MH17 was reportedly hit by a missile over a rebel-held area in Donetsk region on Thursday. All 298 people on board died.
International observers have had their movements around the crash site restricted by pro-Russia militiamen.
Russia has been asked by the western countries to put pressure on Ukrainian rebels to allow unhindered access to the site of Malaysia Airlines crash
The US said it was “deeply concerned” at the limited access to the site.
“It is critical that there be a full, credible, and unimpeded international investigation as quickly as possible,” said a statement from the State Department in Washington.
Ukraine has accused militiamen at the site of the Malaysia Airlines crash of trying to destroy evidence of an “international crime”.
In a news conference on Saturday, Mark Rutte said he had had an “intense” phone call with Vladimir Putin.
“I told him <<Time is running out for you to show the world that you have good intentions>>,” Mark Rutte said.
He added that Dutch people were “furious” at pictures of bodies being carried across the open country, and called on Vladimir Putin “to show that he will do what is expected of him and will exert his influence”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke to Vladimir Putin on Saturday, urging his co-operation.
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are at the crash site.
OSCE spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said access had improved compared to Friday and that the monitors were seeing parts of the terrain they had not seen before, but that their movements were still being restricted.
The monitors are there to observe the site ahead of the arrival of international investigators.
Tougher EU sanctions against Russia will be needed if Moscow does not change its “approach” to the downing of the plane, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has indicated.
David Cameron said the EU should stand up for its principles, amid claims Russia-backed rebels were involved.
PM David Cameron and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott agreed the two countries would apply “further pressure” at the UN Security Council “for swift and unhindered access” to the site, Cameron’s office said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the disaster in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
John Kerry made clear that the US was “very concerned” over reports that bodies and debris from the site had been removed or tampered with, the state department said.
On Friday, President Barack Obama said Malaysia Airlines plane had been destroyed by a missile fired from a rebel area, and that insurgents would not be capable of carrying out such an attack without Moscow’s support.
Russia denies any involvement and has rejected Western allegations that it is stoking the Ukraine conflict.
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President Barack Obama has said a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area in east Ukraine brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
Malaysia Airlines plane crashed on July 17, killing all 298 people on board.
Barack Obama confirmed one American was among the plane’s victims.
Confirmed death toll so far:
Netherlands: 189
Malaysia: 44 (including 15 crew)
Malaysia Airlines plane crashed in rebel-held Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board
Australian: 27
Indonesia: 12
UK: 10
Germany: 4
Belgium: 4
Philippines: 3
Canada: 1
New Zealand: 1
US: 1
Unverified: 2
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The Buk missile system is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union and its successor, the Russian Federation.
The missile, also known as SA-11 Gadfly (or newer SA-17 Grizzly) is designed to fight cruise missiles, smart bombs, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Buk missile system is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union (photo RIA Novosti)
Weapons: Four surface-to-air missiles
Missile speed (max): Mach 3
Target altitude (max): 22,000 metres (72,000ft)
Source: Global Security, Wikipedia
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A surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area in east Ukraine brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, President Barack Obama has said during a press conference.
The plane crashed on Thursday, killing all 298 people on board.
Barack Obama called the attack “an outrage of unspeakable proportions”, saying he would ensure “the truth is out”.
The US and Russia clashed at the UN Security Council, with Russia’s envoy putting the blame on Ukraine for its army’s attacks on eastern areas.
Up to 20 international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reached the crash scene near the village of Grabovo on Friday.
However, Swiss Ambassador to the OSCE Thomas Greminger said the team did not get full access and were stopped by “local illegal armed groups”.
The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It fell between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the neighboring region of Donetsk.
Latest figures released by Malaysia Airlines show the plane was carrying 189 Dutch nationals, 27 Australians, 44 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 12 Indonesians and 10 Britons, along with a number of other nationalities.
President Barack Obama has said a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area in east Ukraine brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17
Confirming one American was among the plane’s victims, Barack Obama said: “Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine.”
Thepresident said in a briefing at the White House: “I think it’s important for us to recognize that this outrageous event underscored that it is time for peace and security to be restored in Ukraine.
“Violence and conflict inevitably lead to unforeseen consequences.”
Barack Obama called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. He demanded that full access be granted to investigators and that evidence should not be tampered with.
He said: “This was a global tragedy… The eyes of the world are on eastern Ukraine, and we are going to make sure that the truth is out.”
Barack Obama said it was up to Russia to stop the flow of heavy armaments and fighters into Ukraine.
Earlier at the UN, US envoy Samantha Power said the US could not rule out that Russians had helped the separatists fire the missile.
Samantha Power added: “President Putin has committed on several occasions to working towards dialogue and peace, and every single time he has broken that commitment.
“Russia can end this war. Russia must end this war.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: “Pressure should not be brought on this investigation, trying to prejudge its outcome with broad statements and insinuations that are unjustified.”
He said the Ukrainian military was responsible for “punitive operations on civilian targets and infrastructure, with dozens of civilians killed”, saying the attacks must be stopped as soon as possible.
Vitaly Churkin also criticized the US, which he said had “pushed Ukraine to escalate the crisis and passed the blame on to Russia”.
He also questioned why the Ukrainian aviation authorities had not closed the air space earlier.
The OSCE said its team spent 75 minutes at the site but its movement was restricted and it had not been able to seal off the area or secure a corridor to allow access for investigators.
OSCE spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said it discovered no information about the plane’s flight recorder and it was unclear who was in charge.
The rebels have accused the Ukrainian government of downing the airliner.
However, Ukraine called the disaster an “act of terrorism”. Ukrainian authorities released what they say are intercepted phone conversations that proved the plane was shot down by separatists.
Ukraine accuses Russia of aiding the rebels and supplying them with advanced weapons.
MH17 is the second disaster suffered by Malaysia Airlines this year.
Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Malaysia to China on March 8 and has still not been found.
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Malaysia Airlines crash confirmed death toll so far:
Netherlands: 189
Malaysia: 44 (including 15 crew)
Australian: 27
Indonesia: 12
UK: 9
Germany: 4
At least 298 people perished when MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine
Belgium: 4
Philippines: 3
Canada: 1
New Zealand: 1
Unverified: 4
Total: 298
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Malaysia Airlines steward Sanjid Singh changed shifts to fly on the plane which crashed in Ukraine on Thursday – months after such a swap saved his wife from a similar fate in MH370 tragedy.
Sanjid Singh, 40, was one of the 15 crew members on the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. The plane was carrying 298 people.
In an extraordinary twist of fate, Sanjid Singh’s wife, also a flight attendant, had switched from Malaysian jet MH370 which vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 with 239 passengers on board, according to a report in The Malaysian Insider.
Malaysia Airlines steward Sanjid Singh changed shifts to fly on the plane which crashed in Ukraine
“Sanjid’s wife was meant to fly on MH370 but swapped with another colleague at the last minute,” Jijar Singh, the steward’s father, told the newspaper.
Sanjid Singh lived with his wife and their seven-year-old son in Kuala Lumpur.
“He was last here [in Penang] about a month ago. He told us recently that he swapped with a colleague for the return Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight,” Jijar Singh said.
Jijar Singh said his son had been expected to visit them after his return from Amsterdam.
“His mother had prepared all his favorite dishes,” he said.
Jijar Singh’s daughter, who lives in Italy, informed him of the crash early on Friday, after learning of her brother’s death four hours earlier.
“I have undergone two heart bypasses. Our daughter waited until four in the morning to tell us. She dare not tell us earlier. I am 71 and she [Sanjid’s mother] is 73. We are in such a state. My whole body is shivering,” Jijar Singh told the newspaper.
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Ukrainian authorities intercepted phone conversations between pro-Russian rebels and what appear to be Russian military officers saying that separatists shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
The Ukrainian Security Service put the Russian-language conversations on YouTube within hours of the crash.
However, the veracity of the recordings cannot be confirmed.
First recording
[Male voice, identified as separatist leader Igor Bezler]: The group of the Miner [an alias] has just shot down a plane, which came down just behind Yenakiyevo.
[Col. Vasily Geranin]: Pilots. Where are the pilots?
[Igor Bezler]: Gone to search for and photograph the plane. It’s smoking.
[Second male voice, identified as Russian military intelligence Colonel Vasily Geranin]: How many minutes ago?
[Igor Bezler]: About 30 minutes ago.
Second recording
Ukrainian authorities intercepted phone conversations between pro-Russian rebels and what appear to be Russian military officers saying that separatists shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17
[Male voice, captioned as “The Greek”]: Yes, Major.
[Major]: Well, the Chernukhino lads shot down the plane.
[Greek]: Who shot it down?
[Major]: From the Chernukhino roadblock. The Cossacks at Chernukhino.
[Greek]: Yes, Major.
[Major]: Well, the plane fell apart in the air, near the Pertropavlovskaya coal mine. The first casualty 200 [military jargon for dead body] has been found. A civilian.
[Greek]: Well, what do you have there?
[Major]: Basically it was 100% a civilian aircraft.
[Greek]: Are many people there?
[Major] [Curses]: The debris fell right into backyard.
[Greek]: What kind of aircraft?
[Major]: I have not figured this out yet because I haven’t been close to the main body of the debris. I am only looking where the first bodies began to fall. There are the remnants of inner brackets, chairs and bodies there.
[Greek]: I see. Any weaponry there?
[Major]: Nothing at all. Civilian things, medical bits and bobs, towels, toilet paper.
[Greek]: Any documents?
[Major]: Yes. From an Indonesian student. From Thompson University [curses].
Third recording
[Male voice, identified as a fighter]: Regarding the plane shot down in the area of Snezhnoye-Torez. It’s a civilian one. Fell down near Grabovo. There are lots of corpses of women and children. The Cossacks are out there looking at all this.
They say on TV it’s a Ukrainian AN-26 transport plane, but they say it’s got Malaysia Airlines written on the plane. What was it doing in Ukrainian territory?
[Male voice, identified as Cossack commander Nikolai Kozitsyn]: That means they were carrying spies. They shouldn’t be [curses] flying. There is a war going on.
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Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have announced they will give international investigators access to the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet.
The rebels vowed to secure the site and allow the recovery of bodies, the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said.
Malaysia Airlines plane, carrying 298 people, crashed in rebel-held territory on Thursday.
The two sides in Ukraine’s civil conflict have accused each other of shooting the jet down with a missile.
The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It fell between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the neighboring region of Donetsk.
Malaysia Airlines said flight MH17 was carrying at least 154 Dutch nationals, 27 Australians, 43 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 12 Indonesians and nine Britons.
Other passengers came from Germany, Belgium, the Philippines and Canada. The dead include world-renowned Dutch researcher Joep Lange who was among a number of passengers en route to an international AIDS conference in Australia.
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have announced they will give international investigators access to the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet
It is the second disaster suffered by Malaysia Airlines this year. Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Malaysia to China in March and has still not been found.
The separatists pledged to provide assistance in the crash probe after holding a video conference with senior representatives from the OSCE, Ukraine and Russia.
In a statement, the OSCE said the rebels had agreed to “close off the site of the catastrophe and allow local authorities to start preparations for the recovery of bodies”.
They would also provide “safe access” to international investigators and OSCE monitors and co-operate with Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine has declared the area a no-fly zone, while other airlines have announced they are now setting flight paths to avoid eastern Ukraine.
Describing the disaster as a “tragic day” in a “tragic year”, Malaysian PM Najib Razak earlier said the investigation “must not be hindered in any way”.
Rescue workers said on Friday they had recovered one of the plane’s black box flight recorders after searching through debris spread across several miles.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency earlier reported that another black box was found by separatist fighters and handed over to Moscow. Observers say the move, if confirmed, is likely to cause international controversy.
US and Ukrainian officials said they believed the plane had been brought down by a missile – a Buk missile system said to have been used by the rebels in Ukraine before.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko called the disaster an “act of terrorism”.
Ukrainian authorities have released what they say are intercepted phone conversations that proved the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.
The rebels were said to have seized the Buk after overrunning a Ukrainian military base.
However, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema has cast doubt on this, telling local media: “The military told the president after the passenger plane had been shot down that the terrorists did not possess our Buk missile systems.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the Ukraine government for restarting military operations in the area, where it is trying to regain control from pro-Russian rebels.
“The country in whose airspace this happened bears responsibility for it,” he said.
Russia has called for a “thorough and unbiased” investigation, adding that the tragedy also highlighted a need for a swift end to the Ukrainian conflict.
Separatist leader Alexander Borodai also accused the Ukrainian government of downing the airliner.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said there were no air force jets in the area and no surface-to-air systems being used against the rebels.
Ukraine has accused Russia’s military of supplying advanced missiles to the rebels.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian officials blamed the Russian air force for shooting down one of its ground attack jets on Wednesday, and a transport plane on Monday.
The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on the disaster on Friday morning in New York.
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All 295 people on board of Malaysia Airlines MH17 flight are believed dead as the plane crashed in east Ukraine, amid claims of a missile attack.
There are no signs of survivors on the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur at the scene of the crash near the village of Grabovo, in rebel-held territory close to the border with Russia.
Both sides in Ukraine’s civil conflict accused each other of shooting down the plane with a missile. It is still not clear why the plane came down.
It is the second disaster suffered by Malaysia Airlines this year.
Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Malaysia to China in April and still has not been found.
At a news conference at Schiphol airport, Malaysia Airlines’ European chief Huib Gorter said that of the passengers that have been identified there were:
- 154 Dutch nationals, 27 Australians, 23 Malaysians, 11 Indonesians
- Six Britons, four Germans, four Belgians, three from the Philippines and one Canadian
- All 15 of the crew were Malaysian
Other airlines have announced they are now avoiding eastern Ukraine.
There are no signs of survivors at the scene of MH17 crash near the village of Grabovo
Malaysian PM Najib Razak spoke of his shock and said he was launching an immediate inquiry into the crash.
“This is a tragic day in what has already been a tragic year for Malaysia,” he said.
US and Ukrainian officials said they believed the plane had been brought down by a missile.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said it was an “act of terrorism”.
Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin also said he had intercepted phone conversations that proved the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukraine government for restarting military operations in the area, where it is trying to regain control from pro-Russian rebels.
“The country in whose airspace this happened bears responsibility for it,” he said.
Separatist leader Alexander Borodai accused the Ukrainian government of downing the airliner.
Ukraine’s defense ministry issued a statement saying there were no air force jets in the area and no surface-to-air systems being used against the rebels.
The plane fell between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the neighboring region of Donetsk.
At least 100 bodies have been found so far at the scene, an emergency services worker told Reuters news agency, with wreckage spread across an area of up to about 9 miles in diameter.
Broken pieces of the wings were marked with the blue and red paint of Malaysian Airlines.
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Ukrainian authorities have closed the airspace in the east of the country to all airline flights, the European flight safety body, Eurocontrol, has announced.
Eurocontrol said all flight plans that use routes in the area are being rejected.
It follows the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with 295 people on board, amid claims it was shot down.
Flights already airborne are being routed around the area by air traffic control in the region, a Department for Transport spokesperson said.
Flight MH17 was on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it came down near the village of Grabovo.
The European Cockpit Association (ECA), which represents more than 38,000 European pilots, said the route flown by the crashed Malaysian aircraft was “the most common route for flights from Europe to South East Asia”.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with 295 people on board crashed in Ukraine, near Russian border
Airline Emirates said its flight EK171 from Dubai to Kiev had returned to Dubai “due to the safety concerns raised with the latest reports on Malaysian flight MH17”.
It added that its flights to Kiev were suspended “with immediate effect, till further notice”.
Emirates said its flights to and from the US and other European destinations used a different route and were outside the zone where the incident involving MH17 occurred.
Lufthansa said it had decided to “fly a wide detour around east Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect”.
The airline said the decision would affect four of its flights on Thursday.
Similarly, Virgin Atlantic said it would re-route “a small number” of its flights on Thursday, following the incident.
British Airways said its flights did not use Ukrainian airspace, with the exception of a once-a-day service between Heathrow and Kiev.
A spokesman for BA said they were keeping those services under review, but that “Kiev is several hundred kilometres from the incident site”.
Abu Dhabi based Etihad said it was unaffected as its planes didn’t fly over the space.
KLM said that as a precautionary measure it already avoided flying over the concerned territory.
And Russian airline Aeroflot said its London to Moscow flights would experience a delay of 30 to 40 minutes on Thursday.
Turkish Airlines has said all of its flights would avoid Ukrainian airspace, while Italy’s Alitalia and Air France said they would divert their flights away from eastern Ukrainian airspace.
France’s junior transport minister Frederic Cuvillier said he had told “French airlines to avoid Ukraine’s air space as long as the reasons behind this catastrophe are not known.”
Flight MH17 had been due to enter Russian airspace when contact was lost.
Both the Ukrainian government and rebels have denied shooting it down in the region close to the Russian border.
Eurocontrol said the aircraft had been flying at Flight Level 330 (approximately 33,000 feet) when it disappeared from the radar.
This route had been closed by the Ukrainian authorities from ground to flight level 320 but had been open at the height level at which the aircraft was flying.
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A Malaysia Airlines plane reportedly with 295 people on board has crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border, on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia Airlines said it had lost contact with Flight MH17 from Amsterdam and the last known position was over Ukraine, it said in a tweet.
Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane has been found burning on the ground in east Ukraine
An aviation source in Moscow told Reuters the plane had been found burning on the ground in east Ukraine.
Pro-Russian separatist rebels have been fighting government forces in the region.
A number of Ukrainian military planes have been shot down by missiles in recent weeks, with Ukraine accusing Russia’s military of supplying advanced missiles to the rebels.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian officials accused the Russian air force of shooting down one of its ground attack jets on Wednesday.
Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the plane had been hit by a missile at an altitude of 33,000ft. The claim could not be verified independently.
The source which spoke to Reuters said the plane had failed to enter Russian airspace.
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The US has announced it is increasing sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, targeting major banks, defense and energy companies.
Among those on the list are Gazprombank and Rosneft as well as senior officials in Russia and the self-declared rebel entities in eastern Ukraine.
The US has steadily escalated its sanctions against Russia over what it says is Moscow’s backing of the rebels – a claim denied by the Kremlin.
The EU also agreed to tighten its own sanctions against Russia.
The leaders of the 28-member bloc are currently holding talks in Brussels.
The new round of US sanctions announced by the US treasury department significantly expands previous penalties by Washington, which were limited to individuals in Russia and Ukraine and a number of companies.
President Barack Obama said the US sanctions were imposed because Russia had failed to fulfill it promises to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine
This time they include the giant oil firm Rosneft and two major banks – Gazprombank and Vnesheconombank.
The weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern is also on the list.
Two self-proclaimed rebel entities in eastern Ukraine – the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic – are also targeted.
Speaking in Washington, President Barack Obama said the sanctions were imposed because Russia had failed to fulfill it promises to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
Barack Obama also stressed America’s support for Ukraine, saying that “Ukrainians deserve to forge their own destiny”.
The US penalties stop short of a complete disengagement with sectors of the Russian economy – a step that US officials said was being held in reserve in case Moscow launches a military invasion of Ukraine.
Russia denounced the US move. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia would take measures “that will be felt quite painfully in Washington”, Interfax news agency reports.
In Ukraine itself, heavy fighting continued in the east.
Ukrainian officials said 11 soldiers died in the space of 24 hours. The number of casualties among pro-Russian separatists was not immediately known.
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Edward Snowden has officially applied for the extension of his stay in Russia after his visa expires.
His lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, confirmed that paperwork had been submitted to Russia’s Federal Migration Service.
The current document granting him temporary asylum expires on July 31.
Edward Snowden fled the US in May 2013 and has been living under temporary asylum in Russia. Last year, he fed a trove of secret intelligence to news outlets.
“We have gone through the procedure of getting temporary asylum… We have submitted documents for extending his stay in Russia,” Anatoly Kucherena told reporters on Wednesday.
The lawyer did not say for how long Edward Snowden wanted to stay in Russia, or whether he wanted to become a Russian citizen.
Edward Snowden has officially applied for the extension of his stay in Russia after his visa expires
Edward Snowden became stranded in the international airport at Moscow last year while travelling from Hong Kong to Cuba. He was in effect trapped in the airport’s transit zone for several weeks before the Russian government allowed him refugee status for a year.
He went to Russia shortly after leaking details of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) international surveillance and telephone-tapping operation.
Russia’s decision to give asylum to Edward Snowden – a former NSA contractor – was strongly criticized by the US.
Correspondents say that while Edward Snowden has in recent weeks increased his media visibility in Russia by giving several closely monitored interviews, he has conceded that he would like to go home, where he faces spying charges that could result in a substantial jail sentence.
News of his moves to extend his visa came as prosecutors in Germany searched the home of a defense ministry employee suspected of spying – the second such case in a week.
The US has not denied allegations that the intelligence agency employee arrested earlier this month was passing secret documents to the NSA.
The two countries, the biggest members of the NATO alliance, have been close allies for decades but relations were strained last year when it was revealed – from paperwork leaked by Edward Snowden – that the NSA had been monitoring German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone calls.
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Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) has passed a law requiring internet companies to store Russian citizens’ personal data inside the country.
The Kremlin says the move is for data protection but critics fear it is aimed at muzzling social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
The Russian government is thought to be seeking greater access to user data.
Russia’s State Duma has passed a law requiring internet companies to store Russian citizens’ personal data inside the country
Social networks were widely used by protesters opposing President Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin in 2012.
Analysts say there are fears that Russia may be seeking to create a closed and censored version of the internet within its borders.
The new bill, passed by the lower house of parliament, must still be approved by the upper chamber (Federation Council) and President Vladimir Putin before it becomes law.
If passed, the new rules will not take effect until September 2016 but will give the government grounds to block sites that do not comply.
“The aim of this law is to create… (another) quasi-legal pretext to close Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all other services,” internet expert and blogger Anton Nossik told Reuters news agency.
“The ultimate goal is to shut mouths, enforce censorship in the country and shape a situation where internet business would not be able to exist and function properly.”
Introducing the bill to parliament, lawmaker Vadim Dengin said “most Russians don’t want their data to leave Russia for the United States, where it can be hacked and given to criminals”.
Ex-USSR states Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova have signed partnership agreements with the EU, in a move strongly opposed by Russia.
The pact – which would bind the three countries more closely to the West both economically and politically – is at the heart of the crisis in Ukraine.
Russia said that while the signing of the deal was the right of any state there could be grave consequences.
A ceasefire with pro-Russian rebels in east Ukraine is due to end on Friday.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed the signing as Ukraine’s most historic day since independence in 1991, describing it as a “symbol of faith and unbreakable will”.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed the signing of the partnership agreement with the EU (photo Reuters)
Petro Poroshenko also said he saw the signing as the start of preparations for joining the bloc.
“Ukraine is underlining its sovereign choice in favor of membership of the EU,” he said.
Meanwhile European Council President Herman van Rompuy described it as a “great day for Europe”.
“The EU stands by your side, today more than ever before,” he told leaders of the three countries, adding that there was nothing in the agreements that might harm Russia in any way.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told Interfax news agency that the move was fraught with difficulties.
“The signing of this serious document is, certainly, a sovereign right of each state,” he said.
“[But] the consequences of the signing by Ukraine and Moldova no doubt, will be serious.”
Earlier senior Kremlin adviser Sergei Glazyev described Petro Poroshenko as a “Nazi” and said his presidency was illegitimate because parts of Ukraine did not vote in the May elections.
Sergei Glazyev also said that Petro Poroshenko had no constitutional right to sign the treaty, which would damage the Ukrainian economy.
However, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Sergei Glazyev’s comments did not reflect the official Kremlin position.
Petro Poroshenko’s predecessor Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the deal under pressure from Russia and protests led to his overthrow.
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President Barack Obama has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the flow of weapons into Ukraine and halt support for separatists.
The White House said that in the phone call Barack Obama warned of further sanctions if Moscow failed to act.
The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin urged direct talks between Kiev and the rebels in the east. Russia denies arming them.
The separatists have said they will observe a truce initiated by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
President Barack Obama has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the flow of weapons into Ukraine and halt support for separatists
The week-long ceasefire – part of a 15-point peace plan announced by Petro Poroshenko last week – is due to expire on Friday.
Late on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters: “The president spoke to President Putin and once again urged him to support peace instead of allowing the provision of arms and materiel across the border and continuing support for militants and separatists who are further destabilizing the situation in Ukraine.”
“Russia will face additional costs if we do not see concrete actions to de-escalate the situation,” he said.
The US and EU have already imposed a number of sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials, after Moscow annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March.
Washington said last week that a number of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers had crossed the border into the east of Ukraine.
The Russian government has strenuously denied that any of its tanks crossed the border into Ukraine.
On Monday, the US State Department said Washington also had new information that tanks were being readied at a site in south-western Russia to be sent into Ukraine.
As diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis continued, Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko in a phone call on Monday, telling him that the US would continue to strongly support his peace plan, the White House said.
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President Vladimir Putin has announced that he supports a peace plan tabled by Ukraine – as long as it includes “practical action” to start talks.
The Russian president said Kiev must negotiate and make compromises with pro-Russian rebels for the plan to be “viable and realistic”.
Vladimir Putin also said a week-long truce – declared by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko – must not be used as an “ultimatum”.
Clashes have continued in eastern Ukraine, with rebel attacks overnight injuring six border guards.
President Vladimir Putin said Kiev must negotiate and make compromises with pro-Russian rebels
The separatist fighters have dismissed the truce, accusing the Ukrainian army of violating their own ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the US has imposed sanctions – including asset freezes – against seven pro-Russian leaders in Ukraine.
Western leaders have threatened additional sanctions against Russia, which they accuse of stoking tension in Ukraine. Moscow denies the claim.
A statement issued by the Kremlin on Saturday evening said that President Vladimir Putin supported Petro Poroshenko’s ceasefire, “as well as his stated intentions to take a number of concrete steps to achieve a peaceful settlement”.
According to the statement, Vladimir Putin also insisted that the plan would only work if it led to “meaningful negotiations and political compromise between the opposing sides in eastern Ukraine”.
Ukrainian forces have struggled to regain control of buildings and territory that have been seized by the armed separatists in eastern regions bordering Russia.
On Friday night, the separatists attacked three Ukrainian border posts in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Kiev said.
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Three tanks have crossed the eastern Ukrainian border from Russia, Ukraine’s interior minister Aresen Avkov has said.
The tanks entered Ukraine along with other armour through a checkpoint controlled by rebels in the Luhansk region, Arsen Avakov said.
Ukraine’s army engaged two of them and destroyed part of the column, he said.
Russia has rejected Arsen Avakov’s statement as “another fake piece of information”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who was elected last month, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a “substantial” conversation by phone on Kiev’s plan of peaceful settlement in the east, Ukraine’s [residency said in a statement.
Three tanks have crossed the eastern Ukrainian border from Russia
Petro Poroshenko said that it was “unacceptable” for the tanks to be crossing into Ukraine, his press secretary said.
Pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared independence after holding referendums last month which were deemed illegal by the government in Kiev.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supporting and arming the rebels – a claim denied by Moscow.
Arsen Avakov said the tanks had crossed the border from Russia along with armoured personnel carriers and artillery pieces in the Dyakove area of Luhansk region, before moving into the neighbouring Donetsk region.
There, Ukraine’s interior minister said, the tanks headed for the town of Snizhne on Thursday morning. Two then proceeded to the town of Horlivka and were attacked by government forces.
“The fight is under way,” Arsen Avakov said.
“I cannot say about its final outcome, but part of this column has been destroyed.”
Unverified video has been posted on YouTube of a battle tank rolling down a street said to be in Snizhne. The footage was shot from a flat overlooking the street.
A second clip, also said to have been recorded in Snizhne, shows a similar tank passing a roundabout.
A rebel spokesman told Russia’s Ria-Novosti news agency that they were fighting a force of 40 Ukrainian tanks north of the city of Luhansk.
The tanks had been stopped at the village of Makarovo, the spokesman said.
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A Moscow court has given life sentences for two men who killed Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006.
They were among five men convicted of the crime last month.
Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter and vocal critic of Russia’s war in Chechnya, was shot in a lift in her block of flats.
Three of the men had earlier been acquitted but Russia’s Supreme Court ordered a retrial. Investigators have not determined who ordered the killing.
Anna Politkovskaya’s reporting for Novaya Gazeta newspaper won international renown for her dogged investigation of Russian abuses in Chechnya
Rustam Makhmudov was given a life sentence for pulling the trigger.
His uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, one of those found guilty of organizing the murder, was also jailed for life.
The three others convicted of the killing – two of whom are Rustam Makhmudov’s brothers – were given between 12 and 20 years in prison.
The prosecution had pushed for tougher sentences.
Anna Politkovskaya’s reporting for Novaya Gazeta newspaper won international renown for her dogged investigation of Russian abuses in Chechnya.
But her pieces, which were highly critical of President Vladimir Putin, then serving his second term, and the Chechen leadership, angered many in authority.
Last year a former police officer, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for supplying the murder weapon.
Anna Politkovskaya’s family say they will continue to campaign until the person who ordered the killing is uncovered.
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Ukraine’s PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called on Russia to control its border to stop “terrorists” from crossing into his territory.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Kiev could solve the crisis quickly if Moscow stopped meddling in the situation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Kiev’s policies were pushing Ukraine into “fratricidal war”.
Ukraine’s PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called on Russia to control its border to stop terrorists from crossing into his territory
Earlier this week rebels and government forces were embroiled in some of the worst fighting of the crisis so far.
The separatists say they lost up to 100 fighters as they tried to seize Donetsk airport from pro-Kiev forces.
Ukraine’s interior ministry says the military is now in full control of the airport, although gunfire was reported in Donetsk itself on Wednesday.
Speaking on a visit to Germany, Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the situation in the east was deteriorating and Russia’s involvement was causing huge difficulties.
“A number of trucks full of live ammunition, full of Russian-trained guerrillas crossed the Russian border into Ukraine,” he said.
“We ask Russia and Putin to block the border to Ukraine. If Russia is out of this game we can handle this situation in a week.”
Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said it had re-established contact with a monitoring team it reported lost in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, but it continued to refer to the group as “detained” and their fate is unclear.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called newly elected President Petro Poroshenko to congratulate him on receiving a “strong mandate” to govern.
Moscow had criticized the election because many in the east were unable to vote as a result of the unrest.
But analysts say the election has bolstered the confidence of Ukrainian officials in their dealings with Moscow.
On Tuesday, Arseniy Yatsenyuk denied Moscow’s long-standing claim that Ukraine owed billions of dollars in unpaid gas revenues.
The prime minister said that in fact Russia’s state-owed Gazprom owed Ukraine $1 billion in compensation for natural gas seized in the annexation of Crimea.
Gazprom’s chief executive Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Ukraine had used $1.7 billion worth of gas in May alone, and would owe $5.2 billion by June 7.
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