Source: Internet Archive

Ukraine released what it said was intercepted audio of phone calls between rebels and Russian officers. In one call, a rebel is heard saying, “We have just shot down a plane.” In another call, edited by the Ukrainian intelligence service, the rebels seem to discuss an SA-11 Buk surface-to-air missile system that was moved into eastern Ukraine from Russia just before the Malaysian airliner was brought down. American administration officials said there was no reason to doubt the authenticity of the recordings.

Shortly after the crash, a posting on the social media profile of a separatist leader, Igor Girkin, said that separatists had just shot down a Ukrainian military plane. The post has since been deleted.