Pro-Russian rebels finally agree to hand over MH17 black boxes as intercepted phone calls reveal just how eager Moscow was to get hold of them first

• Pro-Russian rebel commander tells a press conference that MH17's black boxes are 'under our control' 
• Aleksander Borodai said he is willing to hand over the black boxes and MH17 bodies to international investigators  
• Foreign secretary Philip Hammond said Russia risks becoming a 'pariah state' unless it helps with MH17 crash probe   
• Hammond: 'The Russians should know that they have the eyes of the world on them' 
• Rebels spotted on live television carry a 'black box' from the crash scene outside Donetsk in eastern Ukraine 
• An intercepted phone call between rebel forces claims 'Moscow is very interested in the fate of the boxes'
• UK, US and Australia to raise MH17 with the United Nations Security Council during tomorrow's session 
• International air crash investigators still have not been allowed into the area over safety fears 
• Investigation is further complicated because the area is controlled by rival pro-Russian rebel factions
• International inspectors have examined bodies in a refrigerated train carriage nine miles from the crash site   
• French president Francois Hollande said Britain and Germany agree joint approach over Russian response  

By Darren Boyle

Pro-Russian rebels today said they have recovered the black boxes from MH17 and taken them to Donetsk where they will be handed over to international investigators. 

Rebel leader Aleksander Borodai told a press conference in Donetsk: 'Some items, presumably the black boxes, were found, and they have been delivered to Donetsk and they are under our control. There are no specialists among us who could pinpoint the look of the black boxes, but we brought to Donetsk some technical items which could be the black boxes of the airliner.'

The orange data recorder was taken from the crash site by a man wearing a uniform in what is still pro-Russian rebel controlled territory.    

A pro-Russian rebel carries one of MH17's flight data recorders which could help solve the mystery of what happened to the doomed jet

World leaders want international inspectors to be given free access to the crash site, but the area is still being patrolled by heavily armed rebel troops 

International air crash investigators have remained in Kiev, away from the warzone while the area is patrolled by forces loyal to Moscow

Ukrainian state security officials today released details of what they claimed to be a recording of a phone calls from Friday afternoon between a senior rebel commander and a number of his men at the crash site discussing MH17's black boxes.

Oleksandr Serhiyovych, commander of the Vostok battalion calls one of his men and asks whether the black boxes have yet been recovered because 'Moscow asks where they are'. 

Serhiyovych warns that the black boxes must be brought under rebel control and kept away from international inspectors who were arriving at the scene. 

In a second call to another rebel, Serhiyovych said: 'I have a request for you. It is not my request Our friends from high above are very much interested in the fate of the black boxes. I mean people from Moscow.' 

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A pro-Russian rebel who calls himself 'Novorossiya', or New Russia, had earlier Tweeted that the black boxes belonging to the downed Malaysian airliner had been brought to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. 

An international team of air crash investigators has still not been able to access the scene because of the area's instability. 

Mr Borodai said he planned handing the black boxes over to the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

He also said the bodies recovered from the crash site in eastern Ukraine would remain in refrigerated containers at a train station in the town of Torez until the arrival of an international aviation delegation.

Ukrainian security officials today released phone calls they claim were intercepted on Friday between  a senior rebel commander Oleksandr Serhiyovych and his men

Serhiyovych said Moscow wanted to secure the black boxes before international inspectors arrived at the scene on Friday

However, members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation were today allowed to inspect some of the bodies from flight MH17 which were being held in a refrigerated train carriage nine miles from the crash site in Torez. The OSC inspectors, who are not trained air crash investigators, were wearing body armour as they continued their work. 

Mr Borodai confirmed the bodies would remain in the refrigerated railway carriage until the air crash investigators arrive.  

British foreign secretary Philip Hammond today issued Russian president Vladimir Putin to hand over the black boxes or face international action.

Mr Hammond said: 'I think this is a decision point for Russia. Russia likes to paint this as a dispute between it and the EU and it and the West. This is about Russia and the entire international community and Russia risks becoming a pariah state if it does not behave properly.'  

Heavily armed pro-Russian rebels continue to guard the crash scene after the final bodies were removed from the crash site overnight 

Speaking on the Dermot Murnaghan show on Sky News, Mr Hammond said: 'It is not absolutely clear but the evidence points very strongly that it was equipment that has come from Russia.'However, members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation were today allowed to inspect some of the bodies from flight MH17 which were being held in a refrigerated train carriage nine miles from the crash site. The OSC inspectors, who are not trained air crash investigators.

'There is an absolute obligation on all nations including Russia to use whatever influence they have in securing the evidence so there can be a proper international investigation and access to the site, not least that the bodies can be recovered, properly identified and treated with the dignity they deserve. But I'm afraid to say that the evidence to date is that Russia is dragging its heels on both counts.

'We've got air accident investigators in Kiev as has the US, the Dutch and the Malaysians, ready to go in as soon as it is safe and possible for them to do so.

'The area is under the control of the separatists who are a number of groups. They have allowed limited access, but they have not been able to get free access to the site and there is evidence that some of the material that has forensic value has been moved or removed from the site. It is an interference to what it potentially an important crime scene.

'Russia has a clear obligation to use its influence on the separatists to secure the site and allow access to international accident investigators. We are applying all the pressure we can on the Russians. The Russians should know that the eyes of the world are on them. How they behave over this incident will determine how the world views Russia in the coming months and years.

'I think this is a decision point for Russia. Russia likes to paint this as a dispute between it and the EU and it and the West. This is about Russia and the entire international community and Russia risks becoming a pariah state if it does not behave properly.'

Rebel Ukrainian prime minister Aleksander Borodai, pictured, today told reporters that MH17's black boxes had been removed to Donetsk and are under his control

Mr Borodai said the victims' bodies would remain in refrigerated railway carriages in the village of Torez, nine miles from the crash site but still in a rebel controlled zone

The black box could contain vital evidence of the final moments of flight MH17 including the final words of the pilots allowing investigators to determine what happened

Mr Hammond earlier told Andrew Marr on BBC1: 'The Russians will have probably more information about this incident than anyone. They are very close by, this is only a few miles from the Russian border, they have got lots of military planes in the area, they are saying nothing. 

'There is one party in the world who clearly has the ability to snap his fingers and it would be done, and that's Vladimir Putin and for all the fine words we are hearing from Moscow it hasn't happened.'

Mr Hammond, who has chaired a series of meetings with Whitehall officials including representatives of the intelligence agencies, said the evidence available about those who were behind the atrocity was not yet strong enough to stand up in court but it would 'lead the reasonable person to the unavoidable conclusion that this was a missile fired from rebel-held territory, almost certainly a missile supplied by the Russians'.

British Prime Minister David Cameron this morning raised the prospect of further sanctions against Russia as the West's relations with Vladimir Putin grew increasingly strained following the apparent shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine by pro-Moscow separatists.

In a sign of a hardening attitude, David Cameron said Europe and the West must 'fundamentally change our approach' unless the Russian president alters course.

Investigators from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation have today been granted access to a refrigerated train carriage containing the bodies  MH17 victims 

The international investigators, who are wearing body armour, were allowed to photograph some of the victims who had been removed nine miles from the crash site

MH17's black boxes have been removed by pro-Russian separatists to their stronghold in Donetsk while the victims bodies are being stored in a train in Torez

Mr Cameron has joined US President Barack Obama, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in condemning Mr Putin's inaction. 

Writing in the Sunday Times Mr Cameron said: 'We must establish the full facts of what happened. But the growing weight of evidence points to a clear conclusion: that MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area.

'If it is the case, then we must be clear what it means: this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias, and training and arming them.

'We must turn this moment of outrage into a moment of action.'

Speaking on Dermot Murnaghan's show on Sky News this morning, British foreign secretary Philip Hammond warned Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country risks becoming a 'pariah state' within the international community unless he uses his influence concerning the investigation into the shooting down of flight MH17

Mr Cameron continued: 'That action must go wider than just bringing those responsible to justice, he said, adding: 'If president Putin does not change his approach on Ukraine, then Europe and the West must fundamentally change our approach to Russia.

'This is not about military action, plainly. But it is time to make our power, influence and resources count.

'Our economies are strong, and growing in strength. And yet we sometimes behave as if we need Russia more than Russia needs us and the access we provide to European markets, European capital, our knowledge and technological expertise.

'We don't seek a relationship of confrontation with Russia. But we must not shrink from standing up for the principles that govern conduct between independent nations in Europe, and which ultimately keep the peace on our continent.'

Expressing his frustration at some of his fellow European leaders, Mr Cameron said: 'For too long, there has been a reluctance on the part of too many European countries to face up to the implications of what is happening in eastern Ukraine.

'Sitting around the European Council table on Wednesday evening, I saw that reluctance at work again.'

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, pictured, attended a memorial Mass for the victims of MH17 this morning, where he criticised Putin's response to the disaster 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, pictured, called Vladimir Putin and warned him that 'time was running out' claiming Putin must do 'what is expected of him'

Mr Cameron demanded immediate access to the crash site, with the crime scene preserved and the remains of victims treated with 'proper dignity and respect'.Moscow must also stop supplying and training the rebels, he added.

If Russia did not 'use this moment to find a path out of this festering, dangerous crisis' then 'we must respond robustly', Mr Cameron said.

Earlier the Prime Minister spoke by telephone to Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, whose countrymen and women made up the majority of the passengers on the doomed Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur flight.

They agreed that the European Union should 'reconsider' its approach to Russia in light of evidence that the plane was shot down by separatists.

French President Francois Hollande also called Mr Cameron and Mrs Merkel in a bid to present a unified European front to Russians. 

An Elysee spokesperson said: 'The president ... spoke this morning with Mrs Angela Merkel and Mr David Cameron. They agreed to demand from Mr. Putin today that he ensure that Ukrainian separatists allow emergency workers and investigators free and complete access at last to the site of the MH17 disaster to accomplish their mission.'

'If Russia does not immediately take the necessary measures, the European Union will act in consequence at the Council of Foreign Affairs taking place on Tuesday.'

Vladimir Putin is facing pressure from UK Prime Minister David Cameron, left, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, centre and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, right

Foreign Secretary Mr Hammond expressed his frustration with the Kremlin after chairing a high-level meeting of officials, including from the intelligence agencies.

He said: 'We're not getting enough support from the Russians, we're not seeing Russia using their influence effectively enough to get the separatists, who are in control of the site, to allow the access that we need.

'This has brought the whole international community together.

'This is not about Russia and the West, this is about the whole community demanding that the proper access is made available to this site, the victims are properly recovered and evidence is secured.

'The world's eyes will be on Russia to see if she delivers on her obligations in the next couple of hours.'

A Downing Street spokeswoman said monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe had been given only 'limited' access to the crash site.

As well as Mr Rutte, the Prime Minister spoke to Australian premier Tony Abbott about the catastrophe and they agreed to increase pressure at the UN Security Council for investigators to access the site.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: 'All three leaders are clear that president Putin needs to actively engage with the international community and use his influence on the separatists to ensure they allow access to the crash site.

'The FCO in London has called in the Russian ambassador to make these points.' 

International pilot Nico Voorbach said flight MH17 may have been forced to divert because of 'thunderclouds' along an alternative route which avoids the warzone 

Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans expressed outrage over the current state of the recovery operation: He said: 'The news we got today of the bodies being dragged around, of the site not being treated properly, has really created a shock in the Netherlands.

'People are angry, are furious at what they hear.'

He said it was vitally important that those responsible for downing the jet are held accountable.

He added: 'Once we have the proof, we will not stop until the people are brought to justice.'

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte reiterated his colleague's dismay claiming that he was 'shocked by images of completely disrespectful behaviour'. 

Mr Rutte said he has had an 'extremely intense' telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin over the recovery operation.

He said: 'I told him the time is running out to quickly show the world that he intends to help. He must take the responsibility now with the rebels and show the Netherlands and the world that he is doing what is expected of him.'

Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was urged to make sure the Russian authorities use their influence to secure access to the site for accident investigators and victim identification specialists, in a meeting with Foreign Office political director Sir Simon Gass.

In a statement the Russian Embassy said: 'Ambassador Yakovenko and Sir Simon agreed that the tragedy must be investigated in an objective, open and independent manner, under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and with the participation of other international bodies and interested countries.

'Russia and the UK believe that all parties to the conflict are to ensure access of international experts to the crash site. The Russian ambassador stressed that it is counter-productive for governments to announce their versions of the disaster, as this amounts to putting pressure on the future investigation.

'They also discussed the general prospects of a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine.

'Mr Yakovenko pointed to the necessity of stopping the armed operation of the Kiev authorities so as to create conditions for a wide national dialogue. He expressed his regret at the recent decisions by the United States and the European Union regarding sanctions with regard to Russia which can only encourage the Ukrainian authorities to continue violence.'Experts from the Metropolitan Police are due to arrive in Ukraine today to assist in the grim task of recovering, identifying and repatriating the bodies of those killed.

A team of six investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch is already in the country, working with international counterparts on the next steps in the effort to establish what happened to MH17.

Malaysia Airlines identified the nationalities of 298 people who were on board the doomed flight which included 10 people from the UK, one of whom had dual UK and South African citizenship.

The comments came after a day which saw the Government adopt a tougher approach to Moscow, with Russia's ambassador summoned to the Foreign Office and Philip Hammond claiming Mr Putin was not doing enough to use his influence over the rebels in Ukraine. 

UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond said all the evidence currently available indicates that the surface-to-air missile which destroyed the MH17 was supplied by Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin was at the centre of a diplomatic storm today as accusations mounted that his regime armed pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine who shot down a passenger jet, killing 298 people.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, was headed to Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile above the rebel-controlled east of Ukraine, near Donetsk.

In the first signs of a diplomatic breakthrough, a senior Ukrainian official has said that his government and pro-Russia separatists have reached a preliminary agreement to remove the bodies from the site of Thursday's crash. 

Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman said the 'preliminary' accord would let Ukrainian emergency services and international observers remove the bodies and transport them to a safe place. He did not reveal where that would be. He said 192 bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far.

International monitors have finally been allowed to access the crash site although it is feared that much of a the incriminating evidence linking Russia to the atrocity.

Michael Bociurkiw, spokesman for the 24 international monitors said: 'We have to be very careful. We are unarmed civilians so we are not in a position to argue with people with heavy arms.'   

The latest U.S. intelligence assessment suggests that more than one missile system was provided to the separatists by the Russians in the last week or so, a U.S. official said Saturday.

While there is not 100 per cent certainty, the official told The Associated Press, 'more and more there is the general belief that the systems were provided by the Russians.'

The official said it's not entirely clear if the separatists just received the missile systems or if they had them for a short time and only in recent days were trained or able to operate them. The official was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.  

Meanwhile an international pilot and president of the European Cockpit Association Nico Voorbach said MH17 may have routed through the warzone because of bad weather on an alternative route. 

He told The Observer: 'I heard that they were diverting from some showers. I think there were thunderclouds. You would ask air traffic control to divert left or right, and they would give you the permission.' 

Malaysia's transport minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said: 'MH17's flight path was a busy major airway, like a highway in the sky. It followed a route which was set out by the international aviation authorities, approved by Eurocontrol, and used by hundreds of other aircraft.'