Since being aired by Channel One
Since being aired by Channel One, the photographs have met with widespread scepticism. Andrei Menshenin, a commentator for independent Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy, called the TV report a "pseudo-sensation", and said the angle of attack indicated by the photographs did not correspond to the location of the damage.
Bellingcat, a British investigative journalism website, described the photographs as "a crude fabrication", highlighting what it said were several inconsistencies, which included signs that the photos had been partly compiled from historical Google Earth imagery dating from 2012.
During the course of the Ukraine crisis Russian state television has frequently aired reports, sometimes including apparently sensational evidence, that back the Kremlin's version of events. In July, an opinion poll by the Levada Center polling agency said only three percent of Russians believed the Malaysian airliner was hit by rebels, with 82 percent saying it was shot down by the Ukrainian armed forces. The publication of the photos came on the eve of a G20 summit in Brisbane, where President Vladimir Putin faces strong criticism from Western leaders for Russia's actions in Ukraine.
