MOSCOW: A top Russian aviation official says leaks of the draft report on the Malaysian jetliner crash over eastern Ukraine are meant to put pressure on investigators.

A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down on July 17 last year over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

The deputy head of the Russian Aviation Agency, Oleg Storchevoi, on Thursday said recent leaks pointing to the complicity of Russia-backed rebels amounted to pressure on investigators. He says Russia found "a lot to contradict" in the draft report.

A U.S. official, who was not authorized to speaking publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press Wednesday that it showed the plane was brought down by a BUK surface-to-air missile launched from a village under separatist control.