MH17 crash: Ukraine releases alleged intercepts

Ukrainian authorities have released what they say are intercepted phone conversations between pro-Russian separatists 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. 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 Geranin] Pilots. Where are the pilots? [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? [Bezler] About 30 minutes ago. Second recording [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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