Ukrainian Rebels Reportedly Agree to Hand MH17’s Black Boxes to Malaysia

Nearly five days after MH17 crashed in disputed Ukrainian territory, the Malaysian government announced that pro-Russian rebels have agreed to hand over the plane’s black boxes, which contains all the data from the flight.

The lax security surrounding the crash site, as well as the hostility of rebel forces in the region, have prevented international inspectors from cataloging the site and finding evidence as to why the plane crashed, though it’s generally agreed that rebel forces used a surface-to-air missile to shoot down the Malaysia Airlines jet. It’s also prevented said inspectors from gathering the remains of the 298 people killed in the crash, while allowing locals to loot the wreckage (and journalists to make tasteless reports on-scene).

Yesterday, the Ukrainian security service released audio recordings of separatist leaders in Donetsk allegedly discussing their attempts to locate and hide the black boxes, with one leader noting that “Moscow asks where the boxes are.” In addition, a video released yesterday depicts a man wearing a Ukrainian Emergency Ministry uniform carrying what appears to be a black box (yes, they’re actually orange), but a Ukrainian official said that the man was likely a rebel in disguise.

[h/t Reuters]
[Image via screenshot]

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