An international investigation into the 2014 downing of
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on Thursday released a series of phone intercepts, including one between a top aide to
Russian President
Vladimir Putin and pro-Russian rebels accused in the crash.
Calls between officials in
Moscow and pro-Russian rebels in eastern
Ukraine mostly took place via secure telephones provided by the Russian security service, and intensified ahead of the disaster in the first half of July 2014, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) said.
"The indications for close ties between leaders of the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and Russian government officials raise questions about their possible involvement in the deployment of the (missile), which brought down flight MH17 on 17 July 2014," the JIT said.