Navy ordered to start searching for missile remains

The Ukrainian Navy has been ordered to start searching the Black Sea for remains of missiles thought to have hit a Russian airliner.

The Ukraine has denied responsibility for shooting down the jet that exploded in mid-air.

But Russian leader Vladimir Putin believes their explanation is inadequate.

Sixty-six passengers and 12 crew members traveling from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia were killed in the incident last Thursday.

US intelligence officials believe the plane was hit by a Ukrainian S-200, or SA-5, missile during exercises.

Russian investigators initially focused on the possibility of a terrorist attack, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov called on the Pentagon to provide proof of its allegation.

But he then shifted tack, declaring that the missile fell into the sea two minutes before the plane disappeared from the radar.

He also said that the armed forces had observed all security measures during the exercises, closing all sea and air corridors in the training zone.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has urged experts to find the truth.