Russian Separatists Control Crash Site of Downed Malaysian Airliner
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the big stories we're following in the CNN Newsroom. A pro-Russian rebel leader is responding to allegations that his fighters shot down Malaysia Airlines flight 17 over eastern Ukraine. The rebel leader told a news conference he believes the flight was shot down but denies his forces did it. You can see him right here in the blue shirt. He told reporters the rebels lack the fire power to hit an airplane that high up. But British Prime Minister David Cameron said the European Union needs to reconsider its approach to Russia. Cameron says evidence points to the rebels as the ones who fired a Russian-made Buk missile at flight 17. Earlier Malaysian Airlines issued their latest list of the 298 people from 12 nations who were onboard that flight. We've learned that 80 children are among the victims as well as some top HIV-AIDS researchers, students, and a Malaysian actress, her husband and baby. The victims came from around the world and had all kinds of hopes and dreams. The victims of flight 17 taken down instantly, senselessly, their personal belongings spread for miles, in fact, across scorched metal and scarred earth. Phil Black has more.</s>PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is where MH-17 scoured the earth with the greatest force and heat. The wreckage that struck here was big. Both at the Boeing 777's engines and wings, it is likely this is where the fuel load burned off as well. The blaze so intense, metal components melted into the ground. Down the road, other big pieces of the aircraft marked the farming landscape. But the smaller debris here also holds real power, some of the common place possessions of travelers everywhere. But there is also the more personal, giving little insights into the lives of those who fell with the plane. These were people from around the world with no connection to Ukraine's conflict, but their bodies now lie across this war zone. Their positions are marked with sticks and white cloth. Most of the injuries are too terrible to show or even talk about. Pro-Russian militants are in control here. Some show curiosity, but there is no obvious intention of quickly recovering the bodies or securing the aircraft. This is a strange, eerie experience, walking through the debris field of a passenger jet. The remains of its crew and passengers are everywhere. And yet there is no one here trying to work out what happened, no one here to take responsibility for this. The militants' leaders say they are deliberately not altering the site so it remains intact for Ukrainian and international experts to inspect. They're blaming the central government in Kiev for not getting those experts here sooner. Until both sides act together, there can be little dignity for MH-17's victims. Phil Black, CNN, eastern Ukraine.</s>WHITFIELD: Could the flight 17 disaster take Russia and Ukraine to the brink? The countries have been at odds since street protests forced Ukraine's former pro-Moscow president from power, and that was just in February. Russia then annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, and Ukraine accuses Russia of crossing the border illegally to arm pro- Russian rebels. Cynthia Hooper is the associate professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, and attorney Arthur Rosenberg is a CNN aviation analyst. Cynthia, what does the downing of this plane mean in your view for the Russia-Ukraine relationship?</s>CYNTHIA HOOPER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS: Well, obviously Russia's relationship with Ukraine right now is at an all- time low. But I think the even more important question is what does this mean for Russia's relationship with the rest of the world? In my opinion, we're sitting right in the middle of an extremely fraught diplomatic crisis, and it's extraordinary to me to contrast the behavior of the families of the victims and the leaders of the countries who are most affected by this tragedy, specifically the Netherlands and Malaysia. With the behavior of these Ukraine separatists, seeing pictures of them at the crash site masked with machine guns, striding through fields still littered with debris 48 hours after the initial crisis, and also to see Russia failing to distance itself at all from their actions and instead, engaging in a blame game, accusing the west of a propaganda war against their country, and using Russian-controlled media to spread the wildest of conspiracy theories, one more extreme than the next. It is like someone trying to throw half-baked spaghetti against the wall in the homes that one or two pieces stick.</s>WHITFIELD: So in your view then, Cynthia, what is the action that Russia could take at this juncture that would appease if not appeal to the international community which is clearly outraged about what has happened?</s>HOOPER: Well, I think Russia needs to break from past patterns of denying responsibility for mistakes. I mean, there is a long history inside Russia of failing to acknowledge responsibility for anything that makes the government look weak or look bad. One example of that would be the Kursk nuclear submarine that sank in 2000 four months after Putin took office. Over 1000 soldiers died in that, and some of them suffocated after many days. And Russia refused all international assistance and put forward initially theories that say America was responsible somehow for the sinking of that submarine. And I see great similarity now in terms of how this crisis is being handled. I mean, I think that the international community is saying we need investigate this and we need to refrain from jumping to conclusions. But if investigation shows that these Ukrainian separatists are behind the attack, there have to be consequences. And I think that obviously, Putin has lost a great deal through this event. I don't think he wanted this to happen. His agenda had been had been succeeding. Just last week he was meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the World Cup. And so he has lost by any account a huge amount of face through this catastrophe. The best thing he can do is acknowledge that and work with the western countries.</s>WHITFIELD: So then, Arthur, in your view, when you hear President Obama saying it is Vladimir Putin who can help deescalate the situation, do you believe that? Do you believe that his involvement, even now, could help appease if not quiet the conflict?</s>ARTHUR ROSENBERG, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Yes. Let me answer the question two ways. First, absolutely. Vladimir Putin's sway over the separatists is absolutely paramount. Through back channels, front channels, if the word gets out to these separatists to stand down, to cooperate, to let these international organizations in, to let the investigators in, to let these people in, to dignify and sanctify these bodies and to treat this investigation properly, I think that would be a long way to improving his standing right now in the world, which the entire world is looking at this as the quintessential act of barbarism, and that's exactly what it is. But there's a flipside to this also. President Obama also is wielding a sword because under various United States statutes, for example, the anti-terrorism act, state sponsors of terrorism, individual terrorists, terrorist groups can be held accountable in the United States. The assets of individuals, including Vladimir Putin, people inside of Russia, terrorist groups that are in the United States that we have access to, can all be used to satisfy judgments against these groups in the United States.</s>WHITFIELD: Even though it was not an American U.S. airliner, even though among the 298, only one was an American?</s>ROSENBERG: Yes. So the intent here is to make a worldwide reach to quash this kind of activity. And this is the sword, I think, that is really hanging over these people.</s>WHITFIELD: OK, fascinating. Arthur Rosenberg, Cynthia Hooper, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Still ahead, we're learning more about the victims on board Malaysia flight MH-17. Laurie Segall is following that part of the story.</s>LAURIE SEGALL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. Well, some powerful images are emerging on social media sent by passengers before that doomed flight. And I have to tell you, some of them just seem downright ominous. I'm going to explain more coming up.