Original subtitles

We met Dima in Kiev,

he had decided to quit his job

and volunteer to fight against the Separatists in the East of the country.

This is the apartment where I live with my girlfriend.

This is our desk and our desk stuff.

This is my rabbit,

his name is cat.

This is my own body armour.

This celox (medical supplies), was sent from the united states.

This... transfer performing US.

It is not military, it is for tourists but it's nice too.

Is this the first time that you are going to actually fight?

Yeah, its my first time but my friends no.

It's safe now

but what will happen tomorrow I don't know.

Everything is going to be alright.

It's a shame.

The revolution had left the government in complete disarray

but inspired a new found patriotism among much of the civilian population.

I can do it, I can do it.

Yep,

see you later,

The lack of government support meant many supplies were being collected

and donated by ordinary people,

Dima was delivering these supplies in a refurbished civilian vehicle

to help the fight on the front line.

We left Dima and the volunteers still with no idea of

what they would be facing when they arrived.

After much discussion about our own safety

we decided that the only real way to understand the conflict

was to see it from the other side

and head into separatist territory ourselves.

Despite being advised not to go

we took a train to heavily disputed city of Donetsk.

Donetsk was the main Separatist stronghold

which the Ukrainians desperately wanted to take back.

On our arrival at the train station,

we were held at gun point and sent directly to the government building.

We had not exactly been prepared for such an arrival,

so the situation was tense as we waited to see

if they would let us continue to film.

We make films, so documentaries.

And now you will also make films?

How great the people n Donetsk region are?

After some questioning, we were eventually allowed to leave.

After looking around on our way out

it was obvious the takeover must have been unexpected

and brutal as the entire building had been completely ransacked.

The government building had been taken from the Ukrainians by force

several weeks before we had arrived.

It had been barricaded for defence

to help ensure the Separatists kept control of the city.

Outside we then tried to talk to some locals,

who weren't too keen about being filmed.

It became apparent to us very quickly that many of the local people here

were not the biggest fans of the west,

or of us, being from the UK.

After the initial shock of our arrival

and seeing firsthand how the locals didn't want us to be there

the constant shelling of the city by the Ukrainian military

was something we didn't expect to be so close to.

Whilst even the centre of Donetsk was under constant threat of being shelled

it was easy to understand why people felt threatened by the Ukrainian forces

who had besieged the city.

One night from our balcony,

in between the shelling we heard planes flying overhead

followed by an explosion.

Early the next day we decided to go and see what had happened.

After only a 10 minute drive

we arrived where the bombs had landed,

it had hit an industrial estate close to a driving test centre

nowhere near any separatist military instillations.

As with all conflicts it was the civilian population caught in the middle

that were suffering the consequences.

It's impossible to say if it was the Ukrainian military trying to scare

the remaining civilian population out of the city,

but for many it only distanced them further from their own government

and closer to the Separatists' pro-Russian mentality.

We then went to a refugee centre with a Brazilian journalist,

after initially being interrogated by Separatist soldiers

we were then escorted around the building by one soldier called Ruslan.

After our initial questioning the Separatists had mistaken us

all as being Brazilian

which interestingly seemed to make people much more open to talk to us.

It seemed that many people felt threatened by the change they felt

was being forced upon them.

To try and find out more we spoke to Rudolf

who was the press officer for the Separatists in Donetsk.

Do you think the government are lying to the Ukrainian people?

A total lie. Total, total lie.

From (beginning) to end Total.

Corruption, total corruption

from middle to high offices.

Now in Kiev, the government...

are a group of savages.

We have to build new customs,

new society

human society.

not capitalist

human society.

Today Ukrainian people

are ill,

ill in the head, and ill in the soul.

Even though the Separatists had full control of the city

there were a few pro-Ukrainian activists still in Donetsk.

We went to meet Maria Olynik

who had been opposing the rebels since they took control of the city.

Despite the risks she agreed to speak with us on camera.

We were aware that many atrocities were occurring daily during the conflict,

but it was sobering to hear the brutal measures

the Separatists had taken to prevent people protesting against them.

Maria was showing an incredible amount of courage by deciding to stay

especially considering the amount of Separatist soldiers patrolling the city.

They made they're presence known in a number of ways...

Here they are driving around the city centre

commemorating the paratroopers of WWII

by firing their machine guns into the air.

Propaganda was rife throughout the city.

We saw more in Donetsk

then we would ever see in any of the Ukrainian held territories.

There were billboards depicting the Separatists

as a brave few fighting the many,

there were also stalls selling bumper stickers and key rings.

A common theme was regurgitating WWII rhetoric

comparing this conflict to the invasion of the Nazis.

We wanted to understand some of the other reasons

motivating Separatist soldiers to fight.

We managed to gain access to the main Separatist military base in Donetsk.

The conflict had acted as a catalyst

for the far right movement in Ukraine.

The far right sector were Ultra nationalist Ukrainian volunteers

with a reputation for their viciousness in battle.

Many of the Separatist soldiers we had met

had come from Russia to fight against European influence in Ukraine

although it was the far right volunteer battalions

that seemed to be one of their biggest concerns.

Whilst filing at the training ground

we were given a stark reminder of the hostile situation we were in,

when an explosion went off nearby sending everyone into panic.

We were advised shortly afterwards to leave the area.

We are going to end now.

We wanted find out more about

the Ukrainian far right movement we had been told about,

so after a treacherous journey out of Separatist territory

we headed for Mariupol.

During the chaos following the Euro Maidan Revolution in Kiev,

the south eastern city of Mariupol was one of the cities taken

by the pro-Russian Separatists'.

After a period of violent clashes with pro-Russian supporters,

amid reports of looting and violence,

Ukrainian forces failed to keep control of the city.

Many pro-Russian residents including some of the local police,

rebelled against the Ukrainian forces

and forced them out of the city.

Whilst retreating,

Ukrainian troops fired on pro-Russian supporters,

killing several civilians.

The Ukrainian military had been provoked

by Separatist supporters in plain clothes

shooting from the cover of the crowds.

Heavy fighting later resumed

and after a big push from Ukrainian volunteer battalions and military,

the city was finally reclaimed.

The battalion that took credit for taking back Mariupol

was the infamous Azov Battalion.

The Azov battalion had a reputation for being fierce fighters

who took action whilst many sat back and did nothing.

They had even taken the ex president Viktor Yanukovych's holiday home

as their main base of operations.

These Ultra Nationalists whom many Separatists considered as their main enemy,

wanted complete Ukrainian independence...

and their passion had gained them popularity throughout the country.

Azov had also cause much controversy

however amidst allegations of torture, war crimes

and their links to neo-Nazism.

The Battalion has its roots in a group of football hooligan 'ultras'

named "Sect 82"

At the start of the conflict,

"Sect 82" occupied administration buildings in the east

to stop them being taken by the Separatists,

appointing themselves as a local "self-defense"-force.

This 'self defence' force then became a militia,

and relocated to Mariupol,

where they assisted the military in taking back the city.

Once armed by the Ukrainian Government Azov grew

and were involved in many battles to retake lost territory in the East.

It was their ties with Neo-Nazism however

that had gained them notoriety,

in particular their insignia being the wolfs-angle

a symbol commonly used by the Nazi SS.

It was this link to Nazism that had made them enemy number one

for many pro-Russian supporters.

With many people in the east having close ties with Russia,

and the millions of Soviet lives lost against the Nazis in WWII

it's easy to see how this propaganda could be so effective.

Azov was Portrayed as bloodthirsty right wing hooligans

armed and given a licence to kill by the Ukrainian State.

With the government in such disarray at the start of the conflict

these far right volunteer battalions played an important part

in maintaining Ukrainian sovereignty.

Whether they made the situation better or worse

is still up for debate.

After spending some time in Mariupol,

by complete chance

we were then to witness something that shook us to our core.

We couldn't believe what we had seen that day.

We were stepping over the bodies of hundreds of innocent civilians.

The look of complete terror in their faces

is something that we will never forget.

As the lists of the victims were released

the reality of what we had seen began to sink in.

The initial evidence blaming the Separatists seemed pretty legitimate,

the official investigation from the Dutch safety board however

took 15 months to complete

concluding that they knew what had caused the crash

but still could not determine who was responsible.

Frustrated with the lack of real answers

we decided to try and look elsewhere...

When Mh17 was shot down there

was obviously a lot of debate about what happened

and people uh on social media

were asking me could I geo locate a video could I verify stuff.

So I started doing that and as more and more material became

uh you know was produced online I examined it

and then you started to have the 2 narratives pushed

by the Ukrainian government and their supporters

and the Russian government and their supporters.

Eliot Higgins is a British citizen journalist and blogger,

known for using open sources

and social media to investigate a variety of different conflicts worldwide.

After initial blame being put on the Pro-Russian Separatists

a photo emerged online through Russian media outlets

of what appeared to be a Ukrainian fighter jet shooting down MH17

You had an image that was basically a composite

of satellite imagery you know images of aircraft,

um that was first published on an internet forum

someone emailed that to an organisation called the Russian Engineers Union,

who had written some rather dodgy reports on Mh17.

They then took it to a major Russian news channel called

Barbushley as if it was genuine.

When we were looking at the imagery.

When you have something that's too good to be true

you start to think "how could this have been faked?"

Well we could see that there was satellite imagery used there

so we could use the details on the image that was presented

to find the exact location.

When we found that location we could go through the different

public satellite imagery sites.

So Google Earth, Google maps and Yandex maps

and look at for example the clouds in the imagery.

And we were able to find specific clouds

that matched perfectly to the image that was presented as being MH17

and these were,

there were multiple clouds from different dates from different sites

showing that was a composite image.

Then the actual jet that was being shot down in this image

was the first result for basically top view of a jet in Russian,

and the jet fighter firing at it looked like an image from online.

And then the features like it was off course anyway,

based off the information that was available,

has it have been that large at that altitude.

It would have either been within several hundred metres of the satellite

or something like four miles long.

So we know neither of those could be true,

so all the different elements of it just you know show that it was fake.

There were some that believed bullet holes in the wreckage

proved that the jet had been shot down.

This representative from the USCE who said when he saw it,

it looked like bullet holes to him.

I've looked at huge numbers of photographs of the crash site

and now there's plenty of holes in the front end of MH17.

You know when it came to them being examined by the Dutch safety board

none of these holes were bigger than 15 than around 15 millimeters

they were kind of had a range of sizes and shapes.

Now if it was shot down by an SU25

or a jet using cannon fire

those bullets are kind of 20 millimeters or 30 millimeters from the cannon

and very few of those holes are anywhere near that size

so unless the bullets magically shrunk as they approached the aircraft,

it can't be from that kind of fire.

Maybe Separatists on the ground

fired at the aircraft for whatever reason

after it crashed but I don't think there's any compelling evidence

of bullet holes being in MH17.

The official Joint Investigation Teams report

eventually found BUK missile parts in the wreckage of MH17,

and concluded that it had indeed been shot down by a BUK surface to air missile.

The question then remained who fired it

and from where.

One of the 1st images of a BUK missile launcher was taken on July 17th,

4 hours before the tragedy.

The team at Bellingcat was able to use open source information

to pinpoint the location it was taken.

The shop in the background was traced

by searching the name visible in the photo

and finding the address from sources available online.

Using Yandex maps and the address

it was then possible to locate the exact location the photo was taken.

Further online searches of Torez, where the shop is situated,

reviled dash-cam videos of people driving around the area

and from these videos it was possible to locate both the yellow shop front

and the distinct black and white stripped building

visible in the original photo.

Based on that information it was possible to say that

the camera was positioned here (marked in red)

in the forecourt of a garage south of the store (marked in yellow),

and the approximate position of the Buk missile launcher (marked in green)

Journalists have since visited the exact location

to confirm that this is indeed where the photo of

the BUK missile launcher was taken.

There were also several other confirmed sightings of a BUK missile launcher,

all within Separatist held territory of Eastern Ukraine.

This photo posted 3 hours after the crash

depicts the trail left behind the missile that hit MH17.

It has been confirmed to be within rebel held territory

and within firing distance of the aircraft.

However the Russian Defence ministry later claimed that

the BUK had belonged to Ukraine and that they were responsible.

We've um reviewed the image of the BUK missile launcher in Ukraine.

It has some very distinct features markings,

damage to the side skirt,

and we've compared that damage

and those details to dozens of BUK missile launchers from both Ukraine

and those inside Russia.

Now there's only one missile launcher that has the same features

that's a BUK missile launcher numbered 332,

from Russia 53rd air defence brigade.

There's not even one other missile launcher we've found

that shares more than one or two features in common

with that missile launcher and they're the more kind of generic features.

Things like the rubber skirt damage the exact positioning of the markings,

only match that missile launcher from Russia.

I've seen no one present any evidence of any Ukrainian missile launcher

that matches in the same way.

The following day after the crash this video was filmed

of a BUK missile launching system with one of the missiles missing.

This became a crucial piece of evidence

and the Russian Defense Ministry claimed it had been filmed

in Ukrainian held territory.

However, using further geo-location techniques

and journalists on the ground

it was then proven to be in rebel held territory on its way back to Russia.

Further analysis of social media sites

even enabled investigators to confirm the battalion responsible

and identify specific individuals

who were most likely to have been in command.

Despite a 16 month investigation by the Dutch safety board

and the overwhelming amount of evidence pointing at the Separatists

nobody has yet been charged for the atrocity.

We later returned east to catch up with Dima,

by this point a shaky ceasefire had been put in place

with reports of both sides constantly violating it.

Since we had last seen him in Kiev

he had been fighting the Separatists on the frontline.

We are now located out at Novoaidar suburbs in Lugansk region,

basically I got here after our last meeting,

last year in my apartment in Kiev.

At this very crossroad my first military experience got started.

It was a reality check to hear how many volunteers had lost their lives

and how quickly Dima had been exposed to the fighting

so soon after leaving the safety and stability of his previous life.

Dima was taking us to a town which had been literally split in 2,

one side was held by the Separatists,

the other by Ukrainian forces where tensions were high.

It was unbelievable

that the warring sides had just a small river separating them.

And it became easy to understand, with tensions so high,

why the ceasefire continued to be broken.

The People living on these newly established borders

were the ones being hit the hardest by the conflict,

with supplies being completely cut off

the volunteer battalions did what they could

to help deliver much needed aid.

The conflict at this point had reached a stalemate

the Separatists had managed to keep control of Donetsk

and much of Luhansk.

After some difficulty we finally managed to get back in contact with Mari,

the pro-Ukrainian activist living in Separatist held Donetsk,

after over a year of Separatist control

we were relived to find out that she was still ok.

It was surreal to be back in Donetsk

ATM's still didn't function

and the Russian Rouble had been adopted as the main currency

check points between the two territories

often left people queuing for days to get basic supplies in and out.

Sit here, you can film but sit down.

If you sit down and enjoy.

What happened?

Oh right it went all the way through!

Not good news,

oh my god my camel bag! Fuck off, oh my god.

What have you got to say Dima, for yourself.

I'm very upset, ha-ha, I'm very fucking upset.

So you guys not safe whole time.

It's okay.