The Ukrainian security service says it has compelling proof that Russian separatists in Ukraine were behind the MH17 disaster that killed 298 people, including 36 Australians.
The Boeing 777 aircraft was shot down on Friday while flying over an area of Ukraine controlled by Russian rebels.
The Security Service of Ukraine has issued a statement saying the plane was shot down with a Buk anti-aircraft system which had been transferred to Ukraine from Russia. The head of the organisation, Vitalii Naida, said the SSU had received “irrefutable evidence that Russian citizens were involved in the act of terrorism”.
At a briefing journalists were reportedly shown photos, allegedly taken hours after MH17 was shot down, of three Buk missile systems back on the road towards Russia. The pictures have not yet been independently verified.
Mr Naida also claimed Ukrainian intelligence had identified a launch point for the surface-to-air missiles in a district controlled by Russian separatists. He said two vehicles, each with a Buk missile launcher, crossed the Russian border in Luhansk region hours after the disaster on Friday, followed by a further three vehicles: one empty, another carrying a launcher with four missiles and a third with a control unit, according to The New York Times.
Mr Naida said Russia had attempted to suppress evidence of its involvement, but did not go into further detail.
Suggestions of a Russian cover-up, both in hiding the weapons after the disaster and preventing investigators from gathering evidence, have fed anger towards Russia, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott mooting the possibility of removing Vladimir Putin from the G20 guest list.
Image via Brendan Hoffman for Getty Images News
