JIT

Four suspects will be prosecuted for murder in connection with the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in July 2014, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) announced in a press conference on Wednesday. The trial against the four suspects will be held in the Netherlands, starting in March 2020. “We now have the information, have the proof, that the Russian Federation is involved in this tragedy, in this crime, one way or another.” Dutch Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said in the press conference. 

At a press conference in Nieuwegein on Wednesday, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) will reveal four names of persons who are suspected of downing flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal said, NOS reports.

The relatives of the victims killed in the MH17 disaster were shocked by statements made by FvD leader Thierry Baudet in his debate with VVD leader Mark Rutte on Wednesday. Baudet questioned the independence of the Joint Investigation Team's investigation into the downing of the plane. He also said that Ukraine may be behind the attack.

Russia again blamed the Ukraine for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 in a surprise press conference held on Monday. According to the Russians, the BUK missile that shot down the Boeing was indeed produced in Russia, but was in Ukrainian hands at the time of the disaster. The international team investigating the disaster, JIT, said it will "carefully study" Russia's accusations, but also pointed out that in the past the country has been less than generous when it came to responding to requests for assistance, NOS reports.

The Netherlands and Australia hold Russia accountable for "its share in the downing of flight MH17". Both countries informed Russia about this step, the Dutch government announced in a statement on Friday. 

This decision follows the Joint Investigation Team announcing on Thursday that the BUK missile system used to shoot down flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17th, 2014, came from the 53rd Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces. 

Dutch soldiers picked up a BUK missile in Georgia early this year and brought it back to the Netherlands to use as evidence in the criminal investigation into the MH17 disaster, sources told RTL Nieuws. Employees of military intelligence service MIVD flew to Georgia on February 21st, and returned with the missile a day later. It was delivered to the Gilze-Rijen military airbase. 

The investigation into the MH17 disaster is in a difficult phase and far from over, the Public Prosecutor wrote in a digital magazine meant to keep the victims' relatives informed about what is happening in the MH17 file. The investigators are having trouble getting data from the Ukrainian secret service and cooperation with Russia remains difficult, the Prosecutor wrote on Monday, RTL Nieuws reports.

The investigation is now in its "most difficult phase", the Prosecutor wrote. "Booking progress at this stage is much more difficult."

Despite promising to do so, Russia still has not handed over radar images of the disaster with flight MH17, the Ministry of Security and Justice announced on Tuesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry promised the Dutch ambassador on October 3rd that the radar images will be transferred to the Joint Investigation Team

Relatives and friends of people who died in flight MH17 are generally satisfied with the investigation results the Joint Investigation Team revealed on Wednesday. The JIT revealed that flight MH17 was shot down by a BUK missile transported from Russia to a pro-Russian separatist controlled field and then back to Russia again.

Malaysia airlines flight MH17 was shot down with a BUK missile of the 9M38 series fired from the ground. The missile launching system came from Russia and was afterwards returned to Russia, are the preliminary conclusions of the Joint Investigation team. The missile was fired from a field near Pervommajsk, which was in the hands of pro-Russian separatists

This afternoon the Public Prosecutor is presenting the first results of the criminal investigation into the downing of flight MH17 over Eastern Ukraine in July 2014. These results are expected to reveal what type of weapon shot down the plane and where it was fired from