Aftermath: Remains of the plane lay scattered across the ground in Grabovo after the aircraft was shot down by a sophisticated surface-to-air missile''
Insignia: The red and blue stripes which decorate the Malaysia Airlines fleet can be seen in this broken piece of the plane's exterior, as can a Malaysian flag''
In pieces: Part of the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines plane lies in an otherwise deserted cornfield''
Carnage: A firefighter tackles a blaze at the site of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine''
Salvage operation: Emergencies Ministry members work at the crash site after the plane was shot down, killing all 295 on board''
Shashank Joshi, of the Royal International Services Institute, said: 'This absolutely transforms the way the Ukraine crisis will progress. It would be an absolute game-changer if it was found to be pro-Russian forces to blame.
'European countries have been quite cautious so far, particularly Germany, because of its economic, energy and diplomatic ties with Russia, and the US has tried to encourage Europe to be tougher.
'If Moscow is found to be ultimately responsible for the provision of weapons used to bring down a commercial airliner, I think it would have a catalysing effect on the European debate. It would result in more co-ordinated European action with countries joining together to act more forcefully against Moscow.
'It will compel fence-sitting leaders like Angela Merkel to get more involved. Germany could cause real harm to the Russian economy by denying it access.'
He added: 'All the signs are pointing in a very ominous direction for Moscow. This would be an absolute disaster for Russian diplomacy, because for so long their strategy has been built around plausible deniability, ratcheting up tensions without the overt involvement of Russian forces.'
US Senator John McCain said Thursday that there would be 'hell to pay, and there should be,' if Russian forces or pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine were behind the missile attack that brought down Malaysian Airlines flight 17.
Mr McCain said: 'If it is the result of either separatist or Russian actions mistakenly believing that this is a Ukrainian warplane.'
He also slammed the White House for the shallowness of economic sanctions the US has pushed on Moscow after Putin annexed a region of Ukraine that was populated mainly by ethnic Russians.
Into a war zone: The jet was flying over the crisis-hit region of Ukraine, where the authorities have accused Russia-backed separatists of previous attacks on aircraft''
Catastrophe: Fire and smoke rises from the wreckage. Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko denied his forces were involved in shooting down the plane''
The aircraft, which was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew, was flying between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur after taking off at lunchtime''
'Terrorist act': The Ukrainian authorities laid the blame for the attack on the rebels by denying any responsibility for the missile launch''
Ripped apart: Wreckage of the Malaysian Airlines flight after it crashed in rebel-held territory in Eastern Ukraine''
An unverified image posted online show Ukrainian inspecting what appears to be wreckage from the doomed flight''
Poignant: Passports of some of the victims. Emergency services rescue worker said at least 100 bodies had so far been found at the scene near the village of Grabovo''
Doomed: Flight MH17 takes off from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam hours before it was shot down over Ukraine''
SHOT OUT OF THE SKY: OTHER PASSENGER PLANES HIT MID-FLIGHT
April 20, 1978: Korean Airlines Flight 902, which diverted from its planned course on a flight from Paris to Seoul and strayed over the Soviet Union.
After being fired upon by an interceptor aircraft, the crew made a forced landing at night on the surface of a frozen lake. Two of the 97 passengers were killed by the hostile fire.
September 1, 1983: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down by at least one Soviet air-to-air missile after the 747 had strayed into Soviet airspace. All 240 passengers and 29 crew were killed.
July 3, 1988: Iran Air Flight 655 Aircraft was shot down by a surface to air missile from the American naval vessel U.S.S. Vincennes. All 16 crew and 274 passengers were killed.
Fear: A relative of one suspected victim walks arrives at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam tonight''
Loss: A relative struggles to contain his emotion as family members of the victims are taken away from Schiphol airport in a special bus tonight''
Torment: Worried relatives are driven away from Schiphol airport by bus tonight''
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