A Malaysia Airlines passenger plane with 295 aboard was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in Ukraine near the Russian border a day after a Ukrainian military jet was downed, Fox News has confirmed.

The Boeing 777 bound for Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam was shot down at cruising altitude about 35 miles from the border, according to Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Interior Minister. He said all 280 passengers and 15 crew members were killed. A Reuters correspondent near the scene reported seeing burning wreckage and bodies strewn across a nine-mile debris field. A Ukrainian Emergency official told the news agency body parts and at least 100 bodies were seen in the area.

"It wasn't the separatists, although Russia will try to blame them, or blame the Ukrainians."
- Retired Army Lt. Col Ralph Peters

The flight manifest reportedly included the names of 23 Americans, though State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a briefing Thursday, "we don't have any additional details at this point on American citizens" aboard the plane.

"Obviously, we're seeking that information as we speak," Psaki said.

An AFP journalist at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport – where the plane had taken off -- said distraught family members were in tears, according to The Telegraph.

The incident touched off immediate finger-pointing between Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government. Eastern Ukraine separatist leader Alexander Borodai told Reuters that Ukrainian military forces shot the jet down, but Kiev denied involvement and labeled the incident a "terrorist act."

"The President of Ukraine on behalf of the State expresses its deepest and most sincere condolences to the families and relatives of those killed in this terrible tragedy," said a statement released by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office. "Every possible search and rescue effort is being made."

 The missile was believed to have been fired from a Russian Buk launcher, and the downed plane appeared to be at least the third aircraft downed in the area since Monday, when a Ukrainian An-26 cargo plane was shot down. Late Wednesday, a  Ukrainian Su-25 fighter jet crashed, though it could not be confirmed if it was shot down.

A separatist group tweeted a boast at about the same time the plane went down claiming to have downed a transport plane, but the tweet was quickly deleted. The self-titled "Self-defence forces of the Donetsk People's Republic" boasted in June 29 press release of having taken control of Buk missile defense systems. The Buk, or SA-11 missile launchers, have a range of up to 72,000 feet.  

Separatist groups reportedly blocked Ukrainian officials from the scene, and later said the "black box," or flight data recorder, had been sent to Moscow. But The Associated Press reported that the rebels intend to call 3-day cease-fire to allow a probe of the incident.

KT McFarland, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan, and a Fox News national security analyst said the attack was most likely the work of Russian separatists, not the Russian or Ukrainian armies.

“I think it’s far more likely it was rebel forces in eastern Ukraine trying to get the Russian back involved," McFarland said.

But retired Army Lt. Col Ralph Peters, also a Fox News contributor, said it is unlikely the Russian military would have put missile batteries capable of knocking a plane out of the sky at such an altitude in the hands of rebels.

"It wasn't the separatists, although Russia will try to blame them, or blame the Ukrainians," Peters said. "The Russians have not given the separatists complex, high-altitude air-defense systems. If this airliner was flying at 34,000 feet or any altitude close to that, it was shot down by Russian military air-defense systems perched on the Ukrainian border."

Peters said the Russian military has been shooting down Ukrainian military aircraft in recent weeks, and most likely mistook the airliner for a Ukrainian military aircraft.

"Russia has a small number of elite forces, but most of the Russian military is ill-trained, sloppy and marginally disciplined.," he said. "With no Western response to them shooting down Ukrainian aircraft, they just got trigger happy."

The airline, which saw one of its fleet disappear over the Indian Ocean in March, confirmed only that "an incident" had occurred involving the Boeing 777.

“Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam," read a tweet from the airline. "The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace. More details to follow,” read a tweet from Malaysia Airlines’ account.

The Donetsk region government said Thursday's plane crashed near a village called Grabovo, which it said is currently under the control of armed pro-Russian separatists. The area has been a flashpoint to the larger dispute between Ukraine and ethnic Russian separatists. Fighting has intensified in recent months in the region.

President Obama said the incident appeared to "be a terrible tragedy” and that the administration is working to determine whether American citizens were on board. He noted the national security team is in close contact with the Ukrainian government.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said whether it was intentional or accidental it is an "international incident" when a passenger jet is shot down. McCaul said he believed only a military grade weapon could have downed the plane.

The Boeing jets are equipped with twin Rolls-Royce Trent engines, typically cruises at 35,000 feet at speeds up to 639 miles per hour.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those on board the Malaysia Airlines airplane lost over Ukrainian airspace, as well as their families and loved ones,” Boeing said in a statement. “Boeing stands ready to provide whatever assistance is requested by authorities.”

On March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, also a Boeing 777 and carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew on a route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared somewhere over the ocean. It has not been found.

Then there is this little piece about some people running towards Russia.

It is now appearing that the DNR rebels were aiming at a AN 26 that was flying a similar flight pattern as the Malaysian airliner--the AN 26 was carrying supplies that were going to be air dropped into a surrounded Ukrainian army group of units.

Appears that the Ukrainian military has the voice commands over radio indicating that the command to fire was given against the "supposed' AN 26 but the missile when launched maneuvered towards the airliner instead.
There are now indications being reported by local Ukrainians that a rebel armored convoy is on the move from one of their controlled towns towards the Russian border and it includes a BUK system--looks like they are trying to cover their tracks and get back into Russia.

Die Informationen ber den Absturz der malaysischen Boeing 777 im Raum Torres in der Nhe des Dorfs Grabowo wurde durch eine Quelle im Verteidigungsministerium der Ukraine besttigt. Die Quelle im Kommandostab Sden erluterte Zensor.Net, dass das Passagierflugzeug aus einem Gebiet beschossen worden sei, das von Terroristen und russischen Legionren besetzt ist. Ukrainische Luftabwehrkrfte oder sonstige ukrainische Truppen gebe es dort nicht. In der Nhe des Abschussorts des Passagierflugzeugs verlief die Flugroute eines ukrainischen Militrtransporters des Typs Il-76, der unterwegs war, um Hilfsgter fr eingeschlossene ukrainische Truppen abzuwerfen. Die Quelle im Verteidigungsministerium nimmt an, dass die russische Luftabwehr den Befehl gab, das ukrainische Transportflugzeug zu vernichten, aufgrund eines Fehlers der Raketenangriff aber auf die zivile Passagiermaschine erfolgte.

According to operational data from Information Resistance group, today around 1:30 PM EEST a convoy of terrorists was recorded in the area of Snizhne [Donetsk Oblast].

The convoy included 3 tanks, 2 armored personnel carriers [APCs], a cargo truck with insurgents and a cargo truck with a mounted large-caliber machine gun. And also a tow truck with a gun mount, which transported the “Buk” air missile system.

The convoy was moving in the direction of Dmytrivka [Donetsk Oblast].

 The guys discussing this incident in this thread: You need to be a member to view our links. are light years ahead of any MSM reporting we are going to see stateside.