article_snippet.sent: Kiev and the West have claimed that separatists or Russian forces, using a BUK surface-to-air missile supplied by Moscow, were responsible for the shooting down of MH17.
article_snippet.sent: The Kremlin strongly refutes the charge, and senior Russian sources have claimed that a Ukrainian warplane blasted MH17 out of the sky. '
article_snippet.sent: Leaks suggest that investigators suspect regular troops rather than rebels were involved in the shooting of a BUK missile, and that these soldiers 'might have changed these soldiers ' identities or even been executed by Russian secret service in order to hide everything'.
article_snippet.sent: Moscow also denies Moscow has ever had troops in eastern Ukraine, a claim the West finds implausible.
article_snippet.sent: Alleged intercepted phone calls between rebels seem to back up the version that the MH17 plane was downed by a BUK crew using equipment smuggled in and out from Russia.
article_snippet.sent: If this could be proven, this would blow apart the Russian denial of involvement in eastern Ukraine quite apart from Ukraine assistance that this had nothing to do with the downing of MH17.
article_snippet.sent: But as one source close to investigators said: 'It looks like key evidence and witnesses, namely the BUK missile and It crew, have been hidden deep inside Russia which is in denial over this whole episode. '