MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that the investigation of the MH17 crash site is stalling due to Kiev's constant shelling of the rebel-controlled area in eastern Ukraine.
Putin told Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak that rebels were not hindering access to the site of the Malaysia Airlines crash, in which 298 people died in July when the aircraft came down in an area controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
"Of course the rebels are not shooting, that is done by the various military groups fighting on the side of Ukraine's official authorities," Putin was quoted as saying by state news agency RIA-Novosti.
"The opposite side is constantly shelling this territory and that does not permit comprehensive working at the site of the crash," Putin told Razak as the two met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing.
Ukraine and the West blame Russia for supplying the separatists with the Buk surface-to-air missile that shot down the Boeing 777 plane on July 17, while Moscow and the rebels have pointed the finger at Kiev.
Five more coffins of passengers who were on the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight were flown to the Netherlands on Saturday for identification.
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