Accidents
Prosecutors Say MH17 Shot Down from Pro-Russian Territory
BUK missile system identified as the weapon used
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 approaches Hong Kong. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by Aero Icarus)
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 approaches Hong Kong. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by Aero Icarus)

Dutch prosecutors have determined that the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on July 17, 2014, came from territory at the time held by pro-Russian fighters, namely a field near Pervomaiskyi in eastern Ukraine. During a presentation on Wednesday to victims’ relatives, the Netherlands’ Joint Investigation Team (JIT) also claimed to possess “irrefutable evidence” that a Russian-made 9M38-series BUK missile shot down the Boeing 777. Members of the JIT, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, which continue their work on the criminal investigation into the crash of flight MH17, have not directly blamed Russia for the atrocity, however.