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Transcripts of audio intercepted by Ukranian security services in which pro-Russian separatists discuss how they had shot down an airliner paint a chilling picture of what happened on the ground after Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed near the Russian border, killing all 298 people on board, including 27 Australians.
The audio points to the involvement of the rebels, who are believed to have Russian backing, in the crash.
US intelligence has confirmed a surface-to-air missile was fired at the plane. The rebels have shot down two Ukranian military aircraft in the past week.
One section of the audio includes a conversation between two militants nicknamed “Major” and “Grek”, as rebels inspected the crash site. They discuss the evidence that it was a civilian plane.
“It’s 100% a passenger aircraft,” Major is recorded as saying, noting that he saw no weapons on-site. “Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.”
Here's a full transcript of that recording from the BBC:
[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].
In another segment, a militant reports in to Mykola Kozitsyn, believed to be one of the Cossack leaders of the rebel movement. “As to this plane shot down nearby Snezhnoe-Torez,” the militant says. “This turned out to be a passenger one. It fell down outside Grabovo, there is a whole lot of bodies of women and children.”
In another quote from that recording, a militant says to Kozitsyn: “On TV they say like it is a Ukranian AN-26, a transport plane. But the writing says ‘Malaysian Airlines’. What was it doing over the territory of the Ukraine.”
Here is that transcript, again from the BBC:
[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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