Pro-Russian separatists admit shooting down MH17 in phone conversation

Ukraine’s security agency (SBU) today released two telephone recordings which indicated that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian separatists.

The Kyiv Post, which published the telephone conversations, reported that the first telephone conversation made 20 minutes after the crash, was between Igor Bezler, identified as Russian intelligence and Vasili Geranin, a colonel in the Russian Federation separatist force.

Bezler says, “We have just shot down a plane,” and Vasili responds “Pilots, where are the pilots?”

Bezler: Gone to search for and photograph the plane. It's smoking.

Geranin: How many minutes ago?

Bezler: About 30 minutes ago.

In the second telephone conversation, about 40 minutes later, two militants names ‘Major’ and ‘Greek’ were heard discussing the attack, with one saying the aircraft ‘fell apart in the air’.

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” (code word for dead person). We have found the first “200”. A Civilian.

Greek: Well, what do you have there?

Major: In short, it was 100 percent a passenger (civilian) 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, medical items, towels, toilet paper.

Greek: Are there documents?

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

A third conversation is of an unidentified rebel and Cossack commander Nikolay Kozitsin.

Rebel: Regarding the plane shot down in the area of Snizhne-Torez. It’s a civilian one. Fell down near Grabove. There are lots of corpses of women and children. The Cossacks are out there looking at all this.

They say on TV it’s AN-26 transport plane, but they say it’s written Malaysia Airlines on the plane. What was it doing on Ukraine’s territory?

Kozitsin: That means they were carrying spies. They shouldn’t be f*****ng flying here. There is a war going on.