Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have opened a formal terrorism investigation into the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight in the country's conflict-riddled east, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported Friday.
The passenger plane crashed over Donetsk on Thursday afternoon, killing all 298 people on board. Since news of the tragedy broke, Russian and Ukrainian leaders and their counterparts around the globe have called for a thorough investigation.
On Friday, Dutch Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten told reporters in Prague that the plane was likely shot down by a missile.
U.S. intelligence officials likewise immediately blamed the incident on a surface-to-air missile strike, The New York Times reported. Citing satellite surveillance, officials interviewed by the Times said that a Russian SA-series missile was used to destroy the plane, though a point of origin had not yet been determined.
While details surrounding the case remain murky, Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces wasted no time in hurling blame at each other.
