MH17 crash site no longer controlled by Pro-Russian rebels

8/12/2019 MH17 crash site no longer controlled by Pro-Russian rebels

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MH17 crash site no longer controlled by Pro-Russian rebels

Dutch and Australian investigators abandoned attempts reach crash site

Explosions in nearby Shakhtarsk forced them to turn back for second day

Fighting has intensified at both crash site and in the surrounding area

At least eight civilians killed by fighting in two rebel-held cities today alone

Government troops hoping to take back parts of east Ukraine from rebels

But rebels say offensive is to stop evidence implicating Kiev being found

By Will StewartandJohn Hall

Published: 08:47 GMT, 28 July 2014 | Updated: 07:58 GMT, 29 July 2014

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Fighting has stopped an international police team from reaching the wreckage of a MalaysianAirlines plane for a second day running, as pro-Russian rebels admit they have lost control of part ofthe crash site.

A delegation of Australian and Dutch police and forensic experts stopped in Shakhtarsk, a townaround 20 miles from the fields where the aircraft was downed, amid sounds of explosions.

A high-rise apartment block in the town was hit by at least two rounds of artillery, according to

reports and dozens of families living in the area fled.

The development comes as UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said the downing of flight MH17 ineastern Ukraine may constitute a 'war crime'.

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Notsafe: Members of the OECD (centre) and forensic investigation teams from the Netherlands (left)and Australia (right) were forced to turn back from the MH17 crash site for the second day in a row

Talks:A delegation of Australian (left) and Dutch (right) police and forensic experts stopped in Shakhtarsk,a town around 20 miles from the fields where the aircraft was downed, amid sounds of explosions


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Convoy: Forensic teams and international observers are pictured on their way to the MH17 crashsite. The team were forced to turn back a short time later amid sounds of explosions

Halt:Pro-Russian militants block the road behind Dutch and Australian forensic teams as they make theirway to the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17


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Fear:Dutch and Australian forensic investigators turned back on their way to the MH17 crash site thismorning after 'explosions' were heard in the area

AUkrainian family leave their home after it was destroyed by shelling. They are seen walking past pro-

Russian militants, who this morning blocked access to the MH17 crash site once the forensic teamspassed through


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Scared: People drive towards pro-Russian militants stationed near the MH17 crash site in a carshowing a sign reading 'children'. The sign was created in the hope it will prevent their vehicle beingfired upon

The mandate of the police team is to secure the currently rebel-controlled area so thatcomprehensive investigations can begin and any remaining bodies can be recovered.

With government troops intensifying their push to claw back more territory from pro-Russianseparatist rebels, the death toll is mounting steadily.

Today rebels admitted they had lost control of part of the crash site to pro-Kiev forces.

United Nations figures show more than 1,100 people have died in just over four months of fighting.

Ukraine has accused rebels of tampering with evidence and trying to cover up their alleged role inbringing the Malaysia Airlines plane down with an anti-aircraft missile.

Separatist officials have staunchly denied responsibility for shooting down the airliner and killing all298 people on board.

News that investigators were unable to reach the crash site for a second day comes as the UN said itwas considering whether to classify the downing of MH17 as a war crime.

Human rights chief Navi Pillay spoke out to say taking down to plane with a surface to air missilecould constitute a war crime.

'The guns must go down!' Monitors turned back from MH17


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War:An armoured vehicle manned by pro-Russian rebels leaves Donetsk in the direction of the MH17site. Fighting has forced investigators to abandon plans to secure the area, despite being considereda crime scene

Hardtask ahead: A Dutch military police officer arrives at a hotel in Donetsk ahead of a renewed attemptto access the MH17 crash site and collect evidence. Initial plans to secure the area have beenabandoned


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Blast:Flames are seen inside a destroyed home in Horlivka, eastern Ukraine. MH17 investigators say thetowns and villages around the crash site have erupted into intense violence in recent days

Conflict zone: An elderly resident of the east Ukrainian city of Lysychansk walks past pro-Kievservice men. Fighting in the area intensified after government forces made fresh attempts to retaketerritory from rebels


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Destroyed: A man walks past a damaged house in Horlivka - about 30 miles from north west of the

MH17 crash site. The Ukrainian army is hoping to regain control of the town, which is considered aseparatist stronghold


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Wrecked: A man stands in rubble of a damaged house in Horlivka. Separatist leader AlexanderBoroday accused president Petro Poroshenko of starting a new military offensive to hide the truthabout MH17

Deadly: Smoke is seen rising over rebel-held Donetsk overnight. Today alone, at least eight civilians

were killed by fighting and shelling in rebel-held cities in eastern Ukraine - three of them in Donetsk

A Ukrainian security spokesman said data from the recovered flight recorders shows MalaysiaAirlines Flight 17 crashed due to a massive, explosive loss of pressure after being punctured


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multiple times by shrapnel.

Andrei Lysenko said the plane suffered 'massive explosive decompression' after it was hit byfragments he said came from a missile.

The data recorders were sent to UK experts for examination.

In their campaign to take control over more territory from separatist forces, Ukraine's army hasdeployed a growing amount of heavy weaponry.

Rebels have also been able to secure large quantities of powerful weapons, much of which theUnited States and Ukraine maintain is being supplied by Russia.

Moscow denies the claims.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a report that at least 1,129 people have beenkilled between mid-April, when fighting began, and July 26.

The report said at least 3,442 people had been wounded and more than 100,000 people had left theirhomes. A UN report from mid-June put the death toll at 356.

U.S., Europe to issue new sanctions on Russia this week

Australian investigators abandon attempts to reach MH17 site


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TheBritish government accuses Russia of putting the 'dangerous and sophisticated weapons into thehands of semi-trained separatists' leading to the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine

Tragic: The news comes as UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said the downing of flight MH17 ineastern Ukraine may constitute a 'war crime


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Grief:Travellers view the thousands of floral tributes placed in memory of the victims of MH17 at Schiphol

Airport. The doomed Malaysian Airlines flight took off from the Amsterdam airport en route to KualaLumpur

At least eight civilians were killed by fighting and shelling in two cities held by separatist militantsovernight, officials in the region said today

Authorities in Luhansk said that five people were killed and 15 injured by overnight artillery strikes.Three were killed in Donetsk as a result of clashes.

Rebel leader Alexander Boroday accused Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko of starting a newmilitary offensive to hide the truth about the downing of MH17.

Intensified combat operations 'are irrefutable evidence proving that Kiev is seeking to destroy allevidence of the crime committed by its military,' he alleged.

'The junta is in panic, the only thing that matters for them today is to evade exposure.

'Kiev's actions run counter to Poroshenko's decision to declare a 40-kilometre zone around the crashsite a ceasefire territory.'

Ukrainian military analyst Dmitry Tymchuk today alleged that rebels were sneaking back dressed ascivilians into areas 'liberated' by the Ukrainian army.

'The activity of the enemy's sabotage groups is high,' he said.

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MH17 crash site no longer controlled by Pro-Russian rebels

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