From Elias Groll & Reid Standish:
Update: 1:10 p.m.Prior to the Malaysian Airlines jet’s shoot down, pro-Russian separatist leader Igor Strelkov posted on the Russian social networking site, VKontakte, claiming responsibility for shooting down a Ukrainian AN-26 transport plane. However, after news emerged of the downed Malaysian Airlines plane, Strelkov’s page appears to have been scrubbed of the post.Strelkov’s page claimed responsibility for taking down a Ukrainian jet and posted and accompanying video that shows smoke rising from what is now believed to be the crash site of the passenger jet. Below is a screengrab of Strelkov’s VKonkakte page that includes the post claiming responsibility for the downed transport plane. That post now appears to have been removed. Donetsk separatist boss Strelkov, Kremlin’s proxy in war, says he ordered shootdown thinking plane was Ukrainian pic.twitter.com/uaWKVlsA7q — Strobe Talbott @strobetalbott July 17, 2014 After reports emerged that a passenger jet had been shot down, Strelkov said that his forces were not responsible and that they lacked the capability to shoot down a plane flying at that altitude. The plane was reportedly flying at an altitude of about 33,000 feet.Meanwhile, additional images are emerging of the crash site, including the horrifying image below that was carried by Russian television:
Read more at What We Know So Far About the Passenger Jet Shot Down in Ukraine.