INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
approved the supply of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 with a
Russian missile.However, the Joint Investigation Team said they had insufficient evidence to launch any new prosecutions and suspended their
long running probe into the shooting down that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.Russia
has always denied any involvement in the downing of the flight over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and refused to cooperate with the
for their roles in shooting down the plane
One Russian was acquitted by the court.None of the suspects appeared for the trial and it was unclear if the three who were found guilty of
multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.The convictions and the court's finding that the surface-to-air Buk missile came from a
Russian military base were seen as a clear indication that Moscow had a role in the tragedy
Russia has always denied involvement
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the news media.But
area of eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched
The Buk missile system came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.The Joint
Investigation Team is made up of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine
Most of the victims were Dutch
It had continued to investigate the crew of the missile system that brought down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in
Ukraine.As well as the criminal trial that was held in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European
Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.
