U.S. Intelligence Confirms Pro-Russian Rebels Shot Down Malaysian Airlines MH17

As bodies have begun to be recovered from the crashed Malaysian Airlines MH17 in Eastern Ukraine, preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment indicates that the plane was shot down by an antiaircraft missile fired by pro-Russian separatists.

After speculations yesterday, US officials believe the attack was likely carried out using an SA-11 surface-to-air missile system, or a similar class of weapon. The SA-11 is an early version of the Buk antiaircraft system that has been identified by Ukrainian authorities as the weapon used to bring down the airliner.

According to a report by the Washington Post, the U.S. official cautioned that the assessment is not final and that U.S. analysts are still investigating.

Below are transcipt of audio conversations between Russian Military and Ukrainian Separatists obtained by Ukraine Officials moments after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down.

A view of what is believed to be a BUK surface-to-air missile battery being driven along a path on July 17in Torez, Ukraine just two hours before the plane was shot down...

The first exchange is between one Igor Bezler (above), identified as Russian intelligence, and Vasili Geranin, a colonel in the Russian Federation separatist force.

Bezler: We have just shot down a plane. Group Minera. It fell down beyond Yenakievo (Donetsk Oblast).
Vasili Geranin: 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.

This is followed by a subsequent conversation between two separatist rebels identified by Ukrainian intelligence as “Grek” and “Major”, believed to be after an inspection of the crash site.

“Major”: These are Chernukhin folks who shot down the plane. From the Chernukhin check point. Those Cossacks who are based in Chernukhino.
“Grek”: Yes, Major.
"Major": The plane fell apart in the air. In the area of Petropavlovskaya mine. The first “200” (code for dead bodies). We have found the first “200”. A Civilian.
G: How are things going there?
M: Well, we are 100% percent sure that it was a civilian plane.
G: Are there a lot of people?
M: Fuck! The debris was falling straight into the yards.
G: What plane is that?
M: I haven’t figured out yet. I haven’t got close to the main wreckage. Now I’m nearby the place where first bodies started falling. Here are remnants of internal brackets, chairs, bodies.
G: Are there any weapons?
M: Nothing at all. Civilian belongings, medical scraps, towels, toilet paper.
G: Are there any documents?
M: Yes. One belonging to a student from Indonesia. From Thompson university.  

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*cking flying here. There is a war going on.