Dutch watchdog proves Russian-made missile hit flight MH17

Almaz-Antey, the maker of the BUK surface-to-air system that the West and Kiev believe downed MH17, said it would present its version of events at a press conference on Tuesday after holding an “experiment” that entailed detonating a missile next to a plane.

A 15-month investigation by Dutch authorities into doomed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 has determined a Russian-made missile shot the plane down over Ukraine and killed all 298 people on board.

The Deputy Chief of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Oleg Storchevoy, sent a letter to Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, the head of the global Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), after becoming acquainted with a draft of the final report by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB), which is heading the probe.

Among the alternatives being considered by the JIT members is a national trial among the JIT countries, as well as referring the case to the global Criminal Court (ICC), the diplomat said adding that there was yet “no clear priority” as the discussion continues.

Ukraine has accused Russian Federation of supplying the separatists with firearms, including the Buk missile, while Moscow has denied involvement and counter-argued that Ukraine of being the cause.

Almaz-Antey in June said the BUK-M1 type of missile has not been produced in Russian Federation since 1999 and is in the arsenal of the Ukrainian armed forces. In the letter, Storchevoy said that, in conducting its investigation, the DSB had violated the principle of “sequence of conclusions”, one of the most fundamental rules when conducting probes into air crashes. The report findings next week are expected to provide details but will not assign blame.