Putin under pressure over MH17 crash site

Rescuers had found 251 bodies and 86 fragments of bodies by late on Sunday at the crash site of the Malaysian airliner – which crashed last week in a suspected rocket strike by pro-Russian separatists. Bodies are being loaded into refrigerated train wagons to take them from the scene (pictured, below).

We have tools in our toolbox, we have levers which we can apply to Russia. Philip Hammond

Downing Street said British Prime Minister David Cameron had a 30-minute “frank” exchange with Mr Putin on Sunday, in which he accused the Russian leader of “contributing to an appalling tragedy”.

A spokeswoman said: “The evidence suggested that pro-Russian separatists were responsible and the Prime Minister made clear that if Russia wants to put the blame elsewhere they would need to present compelling and credible evidence.

Read more from Matt Frei: MH17 - the absence of bodies, valuables and diplomacy

“The PM made clear that our priority is to get experts to the crash site so they can recover and repatriate the victims and collect any evidence necessary for the investigation.”

I suspect main feeling of pro Russian authorities here and in Moscow is panic at #unintendedconsequences of Putin’s policy in Ukraine

— Matt Frei (@mattfrei) July 21, 2014

Other British politicians have said Mr Putin faces sanctions. New Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Russia risks becoming a “pariah state”.

Such events should not divide people, but unite them. Vladimir Putin

Mr Hammond said: “We have tools in our toolbox, we have levers which we can apply to Russia. We can inflict damage on the Russian economy.”

On Monday, Chancellor George Osborne also waded in, saying Russia “holds the key” to the “truly horrific scene” in eastern Ukraine.

He said: “We will consider further sanctions. Russia, of course, controls access to this part of the Ukraine, and I think that is an open secret.”

But Vladimir Putin has accused foreign powers of using the incident for political gain.

He said that “everything must be done” to secure the safety of international experts investigating the crash site, but added: “Nobody should – and no one has the right to – use this tragedy to achieve selfish political ends.

There’s a build-up of extraordinary circumstantial evidence. John Kerry

“Such events should not divide people, but unite them.”

Meanwhile the US has set out the evidence it claimed it had for Russian separatists being behind the atrocity.

Secretary of state John Kerry said it was “pretty clear” that an SA-11 missile system had been transferred by Russia into the hands of the separatists.

“There’s a build-up of extraordinary circumstantial evidence,” he said.

“We picked up the imagery of this launch. We know the trajectory. We know where it came from. We know the timing, and it was exactly at the time that this aircraft disappeared from the radar.

“We also know from voice identification that the separatists were bragging about shooting it down afterwards.”

Heavy fighting now reported in Donetsk. Near airport apparently. Indication of the dangers faced by recovery operation #MH17

— Matt Frei (@mattfrei) July 21, 2014

On Monday fighting broke out in the nearby city of Donetsk – one of the flashpoints of in the pro-Russian uprising against Ukraine earlier this year.

Explosions were heard near Donetsk city cent5re and a separatist official, Sergei Kavtaradze, said there were at least four tanks and armoured vehicles trying to break into the city.