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Ukraine accuses rebels of hiding plane crash evidence

Sunday, July 20, 2014 - 01:54

Ukraine accuses separatist rebels of hiding evidence that a Russian missile was used to shoot down a Malaysian airliner. Jillian Kitchener reports.

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International observers have verified that a train, close to the Malaysian Airlines crash site, contained bags with frozen bodies. With armed rebels at their side, OSCE monitors took photographic evidence. But they were not let inside of the carriages. An anonymous representative said he did not know where the bodies were being taken next or whether there were more to come. A spokesman for Ukraine's Security Council is accusing rebels of hiding evidence: (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE COUNCIL SPOKESMAN, ANDRIY LYSENKO, SAYING: "They (rebels) are doing everything to hide all possible evidence of the involvement of Russian missile in the shooting down of that airliner. If they were sincere, they would have provided all experts with access to the site of tragedy, to the whole square where search operation is taking place and wouldn't prevent our rescuers from doing their job. They are operating under barrels of guns." Newly released Reuters video, filmed Friday, shows a flight recorder being retrieved from the crash site. After days of denial, the Ukrainian Separatist leader spoke out: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PRIME MINISTER OF THE SELF-STYLED DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, ALEKSANDER BORODAI, SAYING: "I can tell you that as of today, we have found some technical details of this plane, which we suppose can be those 'black boxes', the so-called black boxes." (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PRIME MINISTER OF THE SELF-STYLED DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, ALEKSANDER BORODAI, SAYING: "These objects have been delivered to the city of Donetsk and are under my control. We are expecting the representatives of a specialized organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization in this case, whom we are ready to pass these objects of the plane's technical equipment." An ongoing investigation is set to determine who shot down the plane, with Ukraine pointing the finger at separatists with Moscow's backing. But Moscow denies involvement.