Updated 12:48 PM EDT, Wed, May 15, 2024

Ukraine Releases Intercepted Calls Allegedly Proving Rebels Shot Down MH 17 Plane

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Ukraine has released audio of what they say is rebel forces admitting to shooting down a plane on Thursday.

A video has been uploaded to YouTube by the Ukrainian government that allegedly features phone calls made between a pro-Russian Ukrainian rebel commander and a Russian intelligence official, in which they discuss a plane that the rebels have shot down.

The authenticity of the video and the identity of the voices heard in it has not yet been independently verified at this time.

 

According to Mashable, the Ukrainian government has identified the voices on the call to be Igor Bezler, a "pro-Russian rebel leader," and Vasili Geranian, a Russian "intelligence agent," according to Ukrainian officals.

In the first call, Bezler is alleged to say "We have just shot down a plane," and then he states that "cossacks"--or Russian volunteers--from Chernukhino were the ones who shot the plane down. The second part of the video features another call between unidentified men called "Greek" and "Major."

The Kyiv Post provided the video's transcription.

Later in the call the rebel "Greek" asks "Major" (who is sifting through the plane's wreckage at the time) if there were any weapons on board.

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

Greek continues by asking "Are there any documents?" Major answers "Yes. Of an Indonesian student from Thompson University. [Expletive]."

The next call comes approximately 40 minutes later after the rebels have had sufficient time to look through the plane's debris and apparently conclude they have destroyed a civilian plane.

The following transcript highlights this second conversation and was provided by the Kyiv Post:

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.

The last phone call in the video is between a rebel and a "cossack" leader. The transcript includes the following exchange:

Rebel: Regarding this plane that was downed in the Snizhne-Torez area. It turned out to be a passenger aircraft. It fell near Grabovo. A lot of bodies of women and children. Now the Cossacks are looking at all that.

Rebel: The TV said it was AN-26. A Ukrainian cargo plane. But Malaysia Airlines is written on it. What was it doing on Ukraine's territory?

Cossack commander: It means they wanted to bring some spies to us. [Expletive] them. They should not fly, we are at war here.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH-17) crashed in the area of eastern Ukraine near the Ukraine-Russia border on Thursday.

All 295 passengers were killed, and the plane was allegedly shot down by military forces in the area, which has been the scene of fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces over the past several months.

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