2nd LD Writethru: Missile that downed MH17 came from Russia: joint investigation team

The Buk missile that downed flight MH17 was brought from Russia and fired from a region in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian rebels, according to the Joint Investigation Team's (JIT) report released Wednesday by the Netherlands Public Prosecutor's Office.

The report concluded the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down by a Buk missile which was brought from Russia to Ukraine.

The weapon was fired from a field in the Ukrainian village Pervomaysk, which at the time of the disaster was in the hands of pro-Russian rebels, it said. The launcher was then brought back to Russia, according to the JIT's initial probe.

In a response to the report, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "disappointed" by the findings and the investigation was biased and politically motivated.

The investigation team said they based their findings on information collected from radar images, thousands of pieces of wreckage, photos, videos, tapped phone calls and testimonials from people who have seen the Buk missile being driven.

"Intercepted telephone conversations show that during the days prior to July 17, the pro-Russian fighters mentioned they needed better air defense systems to defend themselves against these air strikes. In this respect, a BUK was discussed explicitly. The fact is that a BUK has a higher range than the air defense systems in use by the separatists at that moment, such as the Strela and Igla," said the JIT report.

The BUK-TELAR that was used was brought into Eastern Ukraine from the territory of Russia. The investigation team presented a reconstruction of a large part of the route which was followed by the BUK-TELAR and accompanying vehicles.

The report added that this conclusion was supported by material which the investigation team recently obtained from the United States and the European Space Agency.

The JIT also announced they had identified approximately 100 people who, in one way or another, can be linked to the crash of flight MH17 or the transport of the BUK. These persons are not automatically suspects, but the JIT will continue its investigation to get a better picture of the chain of command with regard to the use of the weapon.

In the JIT, the Netherlands Public Prosecutor's Office and the Dutch National Police work together with police and judicial authorities of Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine. The purpose of the criminal investigation is to establish the facts, identify those responsible for the crash, and to collect evidence which can be used in court.

MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board died, most of them Dutch citizens.

Western investigators and Kiev have been claiming that pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine shot down the aircraft, while Moscow has been denying the allegations and retorting the plane was shot by a missile from the territory controlled by Ukrainian government troops.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Ukraine was hiding vital data on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash and was manipulating the investigation of the 2014 catastrophe.

The ministry also refuted conclusions contained in the Dutch Safety Board report about the possible presence of heavy air defense systems in Eastern Ukraine. Endit