Malaysia Airlines MH17: Missile Attack was 'Planned Action' by Pro-Russian Rebels

Amid reports which are increasingly pointing fingers at the pro-Russian armed separatists in Ukraine for shooting down the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with 298 people aboard, Kiev suspects it was a planned action rather an accidental downing.

According to a local daily, Free Malaysia Today, the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Kuala Lumpur said the BUK missile attack was a "planned action" by the anti-Ukraine rebel forces.

The Kuala Lumpur-bound Boeing 777 passenger plane was believed to have been shot down while it was flying above the eastern Ukrainian region, where the anti-Ukrainian forces - who are largely backed by the Russian Federation – are a dominant force.

"We are confident that those responsible for this tragedy will be brought to justice," the Ukraine embassy added.

"[Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko has also invited the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other international experts including Dutch and Malaysian representatives to join the investigation. This tragedy was the third following the downing of AN-26 and SU-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces."

The remarks follow an alleged conversation that took place within minutes of the crash between Ukrainian separatists and Russian intelligence agents, hinting the missile was launched by the rebels.

Meanwhile, unverified photographs of preparation for a missile launch hours prior to the actual attack, which brought down the aircraft, have surfaced online.

A convoy of three tanks, two armoured personnel carriers, a truck full of armed separatists and another truck filled with machine guns along with the BUK surface-to-air missile defence system are seen being transported to a location, from where it was fired.

The images are being circulated by pro-Kiev journalist Dmytro Tymchuk, who is a reputed figure in Ukraine.