"from the flight recorder on MH17 - that the plane was hit by shrapnel from an exploding rocket rather than a direct hit by rocket, causing massive "explosive decompression" of the plane.
So no doubt "they" will now say "of course we weren't aiming at the plane" - Tattie Bogle

"As noted before, the Buk missiles explode in proximity, showering the target with shrapnel-type fragments." - Q

It is called a TTB (Target Triggered Burst) missiles can either make a direct hit or be triggered by a proximity fuse. This feature allows the missiles to be test fired against extremely expensive "Pilot-less Target Aircraft" without blowing them out off the sky.