The one person who could immediately secure the crash site for investigators to get to work is the one person almost no one wants to be there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has perhaps as many as 15,000 troops massed just across the border from eastern Ukraine, where the charred remains of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 and 298 people lie in a field.

The pro-Russian rebels – suspected of shooting down the airliner and in control of the ground – would be happy to see Putin send in his forces.

But Ukraine most certainly would not.

Time is fast running out for a credible investigation of the attack and recovery of the bodies. Unless the site is quarantined soon, the chance will be lost.

The wreckage is on Ukraine sovereign territory, and ideally, the Ukraine government would secure the site.

But eastern Ukraine is a badlands. The Ukraine army has pushed back the rebels in recent weeks, but has been unable to firmly put down the separatists.

There are options for international intervention, should Kiev make a call for help.

The NATO allies, with US support, could quickly deploy to the area. Australian forces could even play a role in such a coalition.

But with all those Russian soldiers just over the border – and tempers already frayed by this appalling attack – there are heady risks.

Europe has proven to be psychologically crippled when it comes to Russia and the threat of force after the terrible conflicts of the 20th century.

Germany is especially cautious. Even the Dutch, who lost more nationals on this flight than any other country, will not act in isolation.

For the Europeans to show the steel needed to control the site, the French, British, Italians and Germans would each need to act in unison – and such consensus might come too late.

There is an outside chance of a United Nations resolution to give a legal basis for an international investigation.

But Russia has a veto in the Security Council, and with Moscow defiant, insisting it had nothing to do with supplying the rebels with weapons, scrutiny would hardly be welcome.

The same chaos that spat forth a missile to destroy a passenger plane has now swallowed the remnants.