Story highlights Rebels hand over black boxes to Malaysian officials

"These boxes will reveal the truth," rebel leader says

Train bearing bodies expected to arrive in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials say

Dutch foreign minister says human remains were "used in a political game"

Rebels gave Malaysian officials the data recorders from downed Flight 17 on Tuesday, days after the passenger jet crashed in eastern Ukraine.

"We believe these are the black boxes and these boxes will reveal the truth," said Alexander Borodai, the self-declared rebel Prime Minister in Donetsk.

Speaking to international reporters invited to watch the handover at the headquarters of the pro-Russian rebel movement early Tuesday, Borodai said the separatists had done their best to retrieve bodies and handle wreckage at the crash site. And he denied accusations that rebels shot down the plane.

"This is an information war," he said. "We don't have the technical ability to destroy this plane. Ukrainians are not interested in the truth."

Col. Mohammad Sakri of the Malaysian military thanked him.

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Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Families of crew members aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 gather for a vigil Tuesday, July 22, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All 298 people aboard the passenger plane died when it was shot down Thursday, July 17, in a rebel-controlled part of eastern Ukraine. Hide Caption 1 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A woman cries July 22 during a service near the crash site. Hide Caption 2 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – People in Melbourne gather to mourn the victims during a candlelight vigil at Federation Square on July 22. Hide Caption 3 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – In memory of two Newcastle United fans who died in the crash, two wreaths are placed on seats July 22 at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. The soccer fans were traveling to New Zealand to watch their team play in a preseason tournament. Hide Caption 4 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A KLM employee reaches out into a sea of flowers July 22 at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Hide Caption 5 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A flower and stuffed animal sit near the crash site on Monday, July 21. Hide Caption 6 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A woman in Kuala Lumpur attends a candlelight vigil on July 21. Hide Caption 7 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attends a flower-laying ceremony at the Dutch Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, on July 21. Although the passengers came from all over the world, many of them were Dutch because the flight originated in Amsterdam. Hide Caption 8 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A woman places a flower during a candlelight vigil in Kuala Lumpur on July 21. Hide Caption 9 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Mourners in Eynesbury, Australia, attend a memorial service Sunday, July 20, for a family of five killed in the disaster. Hide Caption 10 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Buddhist monks in the Malaysian capital light candles during a special prayer for the victims on July 20. Hide Caption 11 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Wildflowers lie on an engine from the crashed jet on Saturday, July 19. Hide Caption 12 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Friends of Nur Shazana Mohamed, a crew member aboard the flight, take part in a special remembrance prayer at a mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on July 19. Hide Caption 13 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signs a condolence register at the Ministry of Safety and Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday, July 18. "I want to see results in the form of unimpeded access and rapid recovery," Rutte said in a press briefing. "This is now priority number one." Hide Caption 14 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – People pray for the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 at a church outside Kuala Lumpur on July 18. Hide Caption 15 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A woman in Berlin places a candle at a memorial on July 18. Hide Caption 16 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – People in Kiev gather to mourn the victims on July 18. Hide Caption 17 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Akmar Binti Mohd Noor, whose sister was aboard Flight 17, cries outside the family holding area at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 18. Hide Caption 18 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A man prays at a memorial in front of the Dutch Embassy in Kiev on July 18. Hide Caption 19 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Dutch cyclists wear a black armband in honor of the crash victims during the 13th stage of the Tour de France on July 18. Hide Caption 20 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Dutch Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten observes a moment of silence after signing a condolence book in The Hague on July 18. Hide Caption 21 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Candlelight prayers honor the victims at a church outside Kuala Lumpur on July 18. Hide Caption 22 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Floral tributes adorn the entrance to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Hide Caption 23 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – A Dutch flag flies at half-staff in The Hague on July 18. Hide Caption 24 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – People place flowers in front of the Dutch Embassy in Moscow on July 18. Hide Caption 25 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Students attend a prayer July 18 in Central Java, Indonesia. Their teacher John Paulissen was a passenger on Flight 17. Hide Caption 26 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and members of his government observe a moment of silence on Thursday, July 17. Hide Caption 27 of 28 Photos: Photos: Reaction to MH17 World reacts to MH17 crash – People pay tribute to the victims outside the Dutch Embassy in Kiev on July 17. Hide Caption 28 of 28

"Having the black box is not to blame each other," he said, "but to show the Malaysians that we are so serious that these things be recovered for Malaysia."

The long-awaited handover came hours after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Barack Obama lashed out Monday at Russia over conditions at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, saying Russian-backed rebels were still impeding efforts to find out exactly what happened.

What will black boxes reveal?

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as the black boxes, could provide key information about what happened to the plane, analysts told CNN.

But is it possible the rebels tampered with them before handing them over?

"You can't go and fool around with the data. These are solid, secure devices," said Peter Goelz, former National Transportation Safety Board managing director. "If there was any kind of attempt to alter them, investigators would know immediately."

The voice recorder could include audio from the cockpit, which would show whether the pilots knew the plane had been hit, said Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

And the flight data recorder will give investigators information about engine settings, pressurization and electronic communications, among other details, she said. but that doesn't mean the black boxes hold all the clues to explain what happened to the Boeing 777.

"The black boxes aren't going to solve" the issue of who downed the Malaysian airliner, a U.S. intelligence official told CNN's Evan Perez.

Handling the remains

The remains of 16 people were still missing Monday, four days after Flight 17 plunged to the ground, Poroshenko told CNN's Christiane Amanpour

Earlier, the Ukrainian government issued a statement saying that 282 bodies and 87 "body fragments" had been recovered from the sprawling crash site.

A train carrying the remains of 282 passengers was headed toward the eastern city of Kharkiv, officials said Monday.

Obama and Poroshenko decried how the bodies had been treated, echoing complaints that the remains had been left exposed to the elements for days and that rebels had stripped personal belongings from some of the bodies and their effects.

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Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 sits in a field at the crash site in Hrabove, Ukraine, on September 9, 2014. The Boeing 777 was shot down July 17, 2014, over Ukrainian territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board were killed. In an October 2015 report, Dutch investigators found the flight was shot down by a warhead that fit a Buk rocket, referring to Russian technology, Dutch Safety Board Chairman Tjibbe Joustra said. Hide Caption 1 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Australian and Dutch experts examine the area of the crash on August 3, 2014. Hide Caption 2 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks with her bicycle near the crash site on August 2, 2014. Hide Caption 3 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Police secure a refrigerated train loaded with bodies of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it arrives in a Kharkiv, Ukraine, factory on July 22, 2014. Hide Caption 4 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A pro-Russian rebel passes wreckage from the crashed jet near Hrabove on Monday, July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 5 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine – Wreckage from the jet lies in grass near Hrabove on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 6 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man covers his face with a rag as members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Dutch National Forensic Investigations Team inspect bodies in a refrigerated train near the crash site in eastern Ukraine on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Emergency workers carry a victim's body in a bag at the crash site on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of the plane lies in the grass in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 21, 2014. Hide Caption 9 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine An armed pro-Russian rebel stands guard next to a refrigerated train loaded with bodies in Torez, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 10 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Ukrainian State Emergency Service employees sort through debris on July 20, 2014, as they work to locate the deceased. Hide Caption 11 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman covers her mouth with a piece of fabric July 20, 2014, to ward off smells from railway cars that reportedly contained passengers' bodies. Hide Caption 12 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Toys and flowers sit on the charred fuselage of the jet as a memorial on July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People search a wheat field for remains in the area of the crash site on July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks among charred debris at the crash site on July 20, 2014. Hide Caption 15 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Emergency workers load the body of a victim onto a truck at the crash site on Saturday, July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 16 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Emergency workers carry the body of a victim at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 17 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A large piece of the main cabin is under guard at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 18 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Victims' bodies are placed by the side of the road on July 19, 2014, as recovery efforts continue at the crash site. International officials lament the lack of a secured perimeter. Hide Caption 19 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man looks through the debris at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 20 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine An envelope bearing the Malaysia Airlines logo is seen at the crash site on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 21 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Armed rebels walk past large pieces of the Boeing 777 on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 22 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Ukrainian rescue workers walk through a wheat field with a stretcher as they collect the bodies of victims on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 23 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman looks at wreckage on July 19, 2014. Hide Caption 24 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Pro-Russian rebels stand guard as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe delegation arrives at the crash site on Friday, July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 25 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks through the debris field on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 26 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Pro-Russian rebels stand guard at the crash site. Hide Caption 27 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage from Flight 17 lies in a field in Shaktarsk, Ukraine, on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 28 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man covers a body with a plastic sheet near the crash site on July 18, 2014. The passengers and crew hailed from all over the world, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Canada. Hide Caption 29 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A diver searches for the jet's flight data recorders on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 30 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Coal miners search the crash site. Hide Caption 31 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage from the Boeing 777 lies on the ground July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 32 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People search for bodies of passengers on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A woman walks past a body covered with a plastic sheet near the crash site July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 34 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Belongings of passengers lie in the grass on July 18, 2014. Hide Caption 35 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People inspect the crash site on Thursday, July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 36 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People walk amid the debris at the site of the crash. Hide Caption 37 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris smoulders in a field near the Russian border. Hide Caption 38 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Fire engines arrive at the crash site. Hide Caption 39 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man stands next to wreckage. Hide Caption 40 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris from the crashed jet lies in a field in Ukraine. Hide Caption 41 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Family members of those aboard Flight 17 leave Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands. Hide Caption 42 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A large piece of the plane lies on the ground. Hide Caption 43 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Luggage from the flight sits in a field at the crash site. Hide Caption 44 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A couple walks to the location at Schiphol Airport where more information would be given regarding the flight. Hide Caption 45 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Flight arrivals are listed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia. Hide Caption 46 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Debris from the Boeing 777, pictured on July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 47 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man inspects debris from the plane. Hide Caption 48 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage from the plane is seen on July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 49 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man talks with security at Schiphol Airport on July 17, 2014. Hide Caption 50 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine Wreckage burns in Ukraine. Hide Caption 51 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A man stands next to the wreckage of the airliner. Hide Caption 52 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 53 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine People inspect a piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter. Hide Caption 54 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of wreckage believed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 55 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 56 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine An airsickness bag believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 57 of 58 Photos: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine A piece of wreckage believed to be from MH17. This image was posted to Twitter Hide Caption 58 of 58

Poroshenko said the rebels' conduct was "barbaric." Obama called the handling of remains an "insult" that has "no place in the community of nations."

Dutch forensics experts who inspected the train Monday were "more or less" satisfied with how the bodies were being stored," said Michael Bociurkiw, the spokesman for monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

After the train arrives in Kharkiv, the remains will be flown to Amsterdam on board a Dutch C-130 Hercules, officials have said.

Most of those who died in the crash were from the Netherlands.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said bringing the victims' remains home is his country's top priority.

"To my dying day, I will not understand that it took so much time for the rescue workers to be allowed to do their difficult jobs," he told the U.N. Security Council on Monday, "and that human remains should be used in a political game."

Who pulled the trigger?

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Monday demanding full access to the crash site and condemning the downing of the plane. The resolution won unanimous approval from the 15-member council, which includes Russia. It did not specify who was responsible for the crash.

U.S. and other officials have said it appears the plane was shot down by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile located within rebel-held territory. Evidence supporting that conclusion includes telephone intercepts purporting to be pro-Russian rebels discussing the shootdown and video of a Buk missile launcher traveling into Russia with at least one missile missing.

While they have stopped short of putting the responsibility squarely on Russia, Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and others have said the pro-Russian rebels could not have shot such a high-flying jet down without weapons and training from Russia.

But officials said Monday that U.S. intelligence analysts are examining phone intercepts, social media posts and information gathered on the ground to see if Russian officials played a direct role in the shootdown, according to two U.S. officials directly familiar with the latest assessment. The officials declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.

"We are trying to determine if they manned it, advised, or pulled the trigger," one of the officials told CNN.

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"I don't see any differences" between 9/11, the Lockerbie bombing and the attack on Flight 17, Poroshenko said, referring to the 2001 terror attacks on the United States and the bombing of a Pan Am flight over Scotland in 1988.

Obama called on Russia to rein in the rebel fighters, who he said had treated remains poorly and removed evidence from the site.

"What exactly are they trying to hide?" he said.

Russians blame Ukraine

Pro-Russian rebels have repeatedly denied responsibility for the shootdown.

In an interview with Chris Cuomo broadcast Monday on CNN's "New Day," Borodai said he believed Ukrainian forces either shot the plane down with a surface-to-air missile or, as the Russian general suggested, one of its own fighter jets.

"We didn't have motives and desire to do that, and it is obvious that Ukrainians have them," he said. "I can't say about desire, but motive is obvious that the crash of this plane was beneficial to them."

Moscow has strongly denied claims it pulled the trigger, and on Monday, a Russian general suggested that it may instead have been a Ukrainian jet fighter that shot the plane down.

Russian monitoring showed a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet flying along the same route and within 3 kilometers to 5 kilometers (1.9 miles to 3.1 miles) of Flight 17, Lt. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov of the Russian Army General Staff said at a news conference, Russian state media reported.

"We would like to know why the Ukrainian plane was flying along a civilian route on the same flight path as the Malaysian Boeing," Kartapolov said, according to the reports.

In his interview with Amanpour, Poroshenko rejected the Russian suggestion, saying all Ukrainian aircraft were on the ground at the time.

Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, also blamed Ukraine for the crash on Monday. But when asked about audio recordings purporting to show pro-Russian separatists talking about shooting down a plane, he suggested that if they did, it was an accident.

"According to them, the people from the east were saying that they shot down a military jet," he said. "If they think they shot down a military jet, it was confusion. If it was confusion, it was not an act of terrorism."