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Malaysia Airlines MH17: Phone taps point to Pro-Russian separatists

The Ukraine government has released an audio recording which reveals a man - who they identify as a pro-Russian separatist - claiming responsibility for the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash.

Malaysia phone tap ukraine rebels
Commander and self-proclaimed minister of Defence of so the called "Donetsk People's Republic" Igor Girkin, walks with his bodyguards in Donetsk (File: AAP)

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Source: World News Australia, SBS


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Ukraine's Security Services released audio from what it says are intercepted calls between a leader of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and Russian officers, according to Kyiv Post.

The audio, which was uploaded to Youtube, cannot be independently verified.

The recording depicts three different conversations with different men, some of who describe the crash site.

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"The plane broke into pieces in the air, close to the Petropavlovskaya mine. There is the first two hundredth (dead)... it 's a civilian," one man - identified as Russian-backed separatist commander Igor Girkin - says in Russian. 

SBS has verified the accuracy of the translations as reported in the Kyiv Post, but the identity of the speakers cannot be verified.

"We are 100 percent sure that it was a civilian plane."

In the conversation, the man identified as 'Major', says debris has fallen into people's yards and homes.

"I haven’t been to the main sight. I am only surveying the scene where the first bodies fell. There are the remains of internal brackets, seats and bodies," he says.

It comes as the self-proclaimed defense minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, Igor Girkin, reportedly posted on social media a message where he boasted about shooting down a plane.

"We did warn you- do not fly in our sky," he reportedly wrote. It's believed the post was deleted after it became clear the plane was a commercial flight.

The Kyiv Post paper also published a transcript of what it says is a conversation between two separatists identified as "Major" and "Greek".

Full transcript of conversation between "Major" and "Greek" as published in the Kyiv Post:

Major: These are Chernukhin folks who shot down the plane. From the Chernukhin check point. Those cossacks who are based in Chernukhino.

Greek: Yes, Major.

Major: The plane fell apart in the air. In the area of Petropavlovskaya mine. The first 200. We have found the first 200 - a civilian.

Greek: Well, what do you have there?

Major: In short, it was 100 per cent a passenger aircraft.

Greek: Are many people there?

Major: Holy sh**t! The debris fell right into the yards [of homes].

Greek: What kind of aircraft?

Major: I haven't ascertained this. I haven't been to the main sight. I am only surveying the scene where the first bodies fell. There are the remains of internal brackets, seats and bodies.

Greek: Is there anything left of the weapon?

Major: Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.

Greek: Are there documents?

Major: Yes, of one Indonesian student. From a university in Thompson.


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