Ukrainians mark anniversary of MH17 plane downing

Dozens of mourners gathered in the Ukrainian town of Hrabovo on Saturday to mark the seventh anniversary of the downing of flight MH17.

All 298 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 777 were killed in the crash, which Western countries blame on a surface-to-air missile of Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The separatists and Russia have denied the claims.

A small memorial stone surrounded by children's toys now lies near the site of the plane crash, which is currently in territory controlled by Russian-backed rebels.

Locals carried flowers and portraits of the victims of the crash to the memorial site, where the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic gave a speech blaming Ukraine for the crash.

Some locals say they cannot rid themselves of the memory of the bodies that were strewn around their village after the crash.

"I saw on the roadside what I thought to be dolls. Then a rebel soldier carried another figure and I asked him: 'are they dolls?' And he answered: 'are you blind? These are children,'" said Hrabovo resident Volodymyr Oleneshak.

"Before that day, I hadn't smoked or drank for eight years. From that day, 17 July 2014, I can't stop smoking," he added.

IMAGE: AP