Originally Posted by
onetrack
Of course, there is always the possibility that Russian security forces have been told to search for pax phones and cameras, and to ensure that when found, the phones/cameras and their memories, were "damaged beyond repair".
There is a far more mundane, but perhaps no less depressing, explanation for what has happened to victims' mobile phones and credit cards etc.
Humans at Their Worst: MH17 Victims' Credit Cards Used in Ukraine, Phones 'Answered' by Strangers - International Business Times
Any working or repairable phones found in the wreckage will have been wiped and overwritten long ago.