Malaysian Airlines crash: Pro-Russian commander said, ‘Did warn you not to fly …

Kyiv, Ukraine: A Pro-Russian separatist commander issued a warning on social media as news broke that a Malaysian Airlines plane with 298 people on board crashed in Ukraine on Thursday.

According to Mashable, Igor Girkin alias Igor Strelkov wrote on his VK.com account, Russia’s version of Facebook, “We did warn you — do not fly in our sky”

Strelkov is the self-proclaimed Defence Minister of ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ in eastern Ukraine.

Thinking it was a Ukrainian transport plane, Strelkov posted “a plane has just been downed somewhere around Torez, it lays there behind the ‘Progress’ mine. And here is the video proving another ‘bird’ falling down. The bird went down behind a slagheap, not in a residential district. So no peaceful people were injured.”

However, the post was deleted after knowing that it was a civilian plane and not a military aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines MH17 was shot down, killing 298 people on board, in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.

Earlier Ukraine had accused pro-Moscow militants, aided by Russian military intelligence officers, of firing a long-range, Soviet-era SA-11 ground-to-air missile and leaders of the rebel Donetsk People’s Republic denied any involvement and said a Ukrainian air force jet had brought down the intercontinental flight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin – at loggerheads with the West over his policies toward Ukraine – pinned the blame on Kyiv for renewing its offensive against rebels two weeks ago after a ceasefire failed to hold. The Kremlin leader called it a “tragedy” but did not say who brought the Boeing down.

The loss of MH-17 is the second disaster for Malaysia Airlines this year, following the mysterious loss of flight MH-370 in March, which disappeared with 239 passengers and crew on board on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Read: Malaysian airliner downed in Ukraine war zone, 298 dead

“If it transpires that the plane was indeed shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to justice,” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told a pre-dawn news conference in Kuala Lumpur.

“This is a tragic day, in what has already been a tragic year, for Malaysia.”

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who had stepped up an offensive in the east, spoke to US President Barack Obama and sought to rally world opinion behind his cause. “The external aggression against Ukraine is not just our problem but a threat to European and global security,” he said in a statement.

Read: US believes Malaysia jet hit by surface-to-air missile – US officials

A video released on Thursday contains audio intercepted by Ukrainian Security Service of phone conversations of separatists admitting to downing the Malaysian plane.

Here is an English translation of the conversation in the video as published in Buzzfeed. The conversation is between Igor Bezler, a Russian military intelligence officer and a leading commander of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Igor Bezler: We have just shot down a plane. Group Minera. It fell down beyond Yenakyivo.
Vasili Geranin: Pilots. Where are the pilots?
IB: Gone to search for and photograph the plane. It’s smoking.
VG: How many minutes ago?
IB: About 30 minutes ago.
SBU comment: After examining the site of the plane the terrorists come to the conclusion that they have shot down a civilian plane. The next part of the conversation took place about 40 minutes later.
“Major”: These are Chernukhin folks show down the plane. From the Chernukhin check point. Those cossacks who are based in Chernukhino.
“Grek”: Yes, Major.
“Major”: The plane fell apart in the air. In the area of Petropavlovskaya mine. The first “200” (code word for dead person). We have found the first “200.” A Civilian.
“Greek”: Well, what do you have there?
“Major”: In short, it was 100 percent a passenger (civilian) aircraft.
“Greek”: Are many people there?
“Major”: Holy sh__t! The debris fell right into the yards (of homes).
“Greek”: What kind of aircraft?
“Major”: I haven’t ascertained this. I haven’t been to the main sight. I am only surveying the scene where the first bodies fell. There are the remains of internal brackets, seats, and bodies.
“Greek”: Is there anything left of the weapon?
“Major”: Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.
“Greek”: Are there documents?
“Major”: Yes, of one Indonesian student. From a university in Thompson.

Malaysia Airlines Crash: What Happened?