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MH17 shot down by Russian-made missile: investigation finds

Tapped phone calls and images posted on social media helped investigators determine that missiles were driven from Russia into eastern Ukraine before one was fired and downed flight MH17 with the loss of 298 lives.

Families of the victims of the air disaster heard evidence from the international team of investigators, including Australians, at Nieuwegein in the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Families of MH17 victims have heard evidence from a team of investigators. Photo: AAP
Families of MH17 victims have heard evidence from a team of investigators. Photo: AAP

Among those who died after the Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile exploded next to Malaysian Airlines flight 17 on July 17, 2014, were 38 Australian residents.

Dutch chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke told reporters on Wednesday that around 100 people had been linked to the transport and firing of the missile and determining which of them was culpable would be part of further investigations.

He said the Joint Investigation Team was fully confident that "good investigation will lead to prosecution".

Mr Westerbeke and the Dutch head of criminal investigation, Wilbert Paulissen outlined in detail how tapped phone calls of Russian-speaking participants in the fighting in eastern Ukraine helped investigators determine the track of the BUK missile launcher by truck from Russia into the war zone.


MH17 investigation: The facts

• 298 people were killed including 38 Australian residents
• The missile has been identified as a Russian-made BUK 9M-38 series
• Joint Investigation Team members: Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine.
• More than 450 Australian Federal Police officers worked on the case over the last two years
• More than 100 investigators from the participating countries continue to work on the case
• 1448 pieces of wreckage are recorded in an investigation database
• Around 150,000 intercepted phone calls were checked and over 3500 deemed to be of interest
• Many millions of emails along with half a million photos and videos have been examined
• More than 200 witnesses have been examined

Social media images posted by locals also produced photos and videos of the camouflaged launcher being transported on a white Volvo truck before it was unloaded and drove to a field near the village of Snizhne.

Witnesses also gave evidence about the launcher's journey and the firing of the BUK 9M-38 series missile, including reports of a loud bang and images of a long smoke trail in the sky.

Witnesses claimed there was a loud bang and long smoke trail in the sky. Photo: Reuters.
Witnesses claimed there was a loud bang and long smoke trail in the sky. Photo: Reuters.

On tapped phone calls provided by Ukrainain authorities, Russian-speaking rebel leaders or Russian military operatives can be heard talking of the missile launcher's deployment, amidst a lot of swearing.

Satellite images from the European Space Agency and information from US authorities also helped investigators piece together the chain of events.

One satellite image showed a charred section of field where investigators believe the missile was fired from before the launcher with three missiles still aboard was rushed back across the Russian border under cover of darkness.

The crash site of MH17. Photo: Reuters
The crash site of MH17. Photo: Reuters

"We have no doubt whatsoever that the evidence we are presenting today is accurate," Mr Paulissen said.

Russia has consistently rejected allegations that a Russian unit or rebels fired the missile and on Monday the Russian military said radio-location data showed it was not fired from rebel-held positions.

It said the new data would be handed over to investigators.

Moscow has suggested the plane was brought down by the Ukrainian military, which is also equipped with BUK missiles.

Australian Federal Police and defence force investigators took part in the MH17 investigation.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney told Wednesday's press briefing that Australia remained committed to seeing justice done for the 298 victims and their families.

In a statement Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the findings showed that significant progress had been made in this ongoing investigation.

She said the countries involved - Australia, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Ukraine and Belgium - were united in their resolve to ensure those responsible were held to account.

Ms Bishop said Australia was carefully considering the prosecution options available and she called on other states to fully cooperate with the investigation and prosecution in line with a UN Security Council resolution.

"While we cannot take away the grief of those who lost their loved ones that day, we can do everything possible to ensure justice is done independently, fairly and transparently."


Moscow: Inquiry 'biased' and 'politically motivated'

Investigators inspect the MH17 crash site. Photo: Reuters.
Investigators inspect the MH17 crash site. Photo: Reuters.

Moscow on Wednesday described the inquiry as "biased" and "politically motivated".

"Russia is disappointed that the situation around the investigation of the Boeing catastrophe is not changing," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

"The conclusions of Dutch prosecutors confirm that the investigation is biased and politically motivated," she said.

She accused the Joint Investigative Taskforce of "arbitrarily designating a guilty party and inventing the desired results."

Russia's defence ministry on Monday released what it claimed were new radar images showing that there was no missile fired from rebel-held territory on that day, which contradicted some of its earlier declarations.

Russia's Almaz-Antey missile maker, which produces BUK surface-to-air systems, said in a briefing Wednesday that the inquiry did not include its findings.

The state-controlled firm last October alleged the plane was downed from disputed territory by an outdated version of the BUK missile that is no longer in use by the Russian military.

Dutch prosecutors said they only received Almaz-Antey's data this month and did not find that it outweighed the probe's conclusions.