( CNN ) As the huge plume of black smoke fills the sky , people react with shock and confusion . Some run to try to tackle small blazes , others stand and stare . Captured on what appears to be a cellphone video , the scene is believed to be the immediate aftermath of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine four months ago . The footage emerged online over the weekend , just as the removal of wreckage from the crash site for an international investigation finally began . The video was posted on YouTube by the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda , which said it depicts the moments after the passenger jet came down . It shows fire raging in field with bits of wreckage strewn nearby . Tongue-lashing for Putin at G20 . Flight 17 was shot down on July 17 with 298 people on board over territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists . The dispute over who is responsible for the disaster continues to taint relations between Moscow and the West . The United States and other Western nations have accused the pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane with a Russian surface-to-air missile . But Moscow and the rebels have claimed Ukrainian forces were responsible . The continuing disagreement , as well as Russia 's broader interference in Ukraine , prompted bouts of strong criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin by Western leaders at the G20 summit in Australia over the weekend . Putin left the event earlier than his fellow world leaders Sunday , saying he had to rest before a busy Monday . But he described the discussions at the summit as `` constructive . '' He also expressed the view that the Ukraine crisis `` has good chances for resolution . '' Ukraine prepared for 'total war ' His comments contrast with the words coming from the Ukrainian government in Kiev , amid reports that Russian troops and weapons are moving into eastern Ukraine . `` We are prepared for a scenario of total war , '' Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reportedly told the German newspaper Bild . `` We do n't want war , we want peace and we are fighting for European values . But Russia does not respect any agreement . '' Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations from Kiev and Western governments that it has sent forces into eastern Ukraine to bolster the rebels . A ceasefire agreement reached in September between the Ukrainian government and the separatists no longer appears to have any connection with the reality on the ground . Exchanges of mortar fire are common in eastern Ukraine . Residents in the shattered town of Debaltseve told CNN 's Phil Black that artillery fired by both sides falls there almost every day , often destroying homes . Removal of MH17 wreckage . Amid the chaotic conflict , Dutch investigators have been trying to recover the wreckage from MH17 . Everyone aboard the flight was killed . Around two-thirds of the victims were from the Netherlands . The vast crash site was left unsecured , and international investigators struggled to reach the area as fighting raged . The removal of the wreckage began Sunday and continued Monday , the Dutch Safety Board said . It is expected to take several days . The wreckage will be transported by train to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv before being flown to the Netherlands . The investigators say they intend to reconstruct a section of the aircraft to help determine what happened . Further investigation needed . In its preliminary report in September on the disaster , the Dutch agency said Flight 17 broke apart in the air after it was hit by a burst of `` high-energy objects '' from outside . That report set out a list of areas that still need further investigation , including forensic examination of wreckage and any foreign objects found . It noted at the time that Dutch investigators still had n't been able to visit the site amid the unstable situation in eastern Ukraine . In the aftermath of the crash , the rebels were widely accused of looting the site , tampering with the evidence and stopping investigators from combing through the wreckage . After an initial delay , most of the bodies of the victims have been removed from the area and transported out of Ukraine . But as recently as September , Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was likely that there were still remains strewn across the fields . Australia had 38 of its citizens and residents on the plane . Passenger found wearing oxygen mask .
A video that emerged over the weekend purportedly shows the crash 's aftermath . Dutch investigators have begun the removal of wreckage from the site . Ukraine 's President tells German newspaper country is ready for 'scenario of total war ' The passenger jet carrying 298 people was shot down in July over eastern Ukraine .