Washington: Senior US intelligence officials said Russia trained and equipped separatists responsible for the shooting down of MH17 with a surface-to-air missile over Ukraine, but noted that the rebels may have targeted the plane presuming it to be a Ukrainian military jet.

The officials released some of the sensitive intelligence informations, including satellite images, to a select group of reporters yesterday claiming them to be evidences that Russia had trained and equipped rebels responsible for the attack, The Washington Post reported.

Armed pro-Russian separatists stand guard in front of the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, near the village of Grabove, in the region of Donetsk on July 20, 2014. Photo: AFP