MH17 Crash Investigation Team Reiterates Commitment to Continue Inquiry

Envoys to the UN from Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Malaysia and Ukraine, comprising the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in east Ukraine, issued a statement on the second anniversary of the crash where they reiterated commitment to bring those responsible for the plane's downing to justice.

KIEV (Sputnik) — The countries also noted the investigation of the Dutch Safety Board published on 13 October 2015.

"The countries recalled their full commitment to take effective measures to bring to justice the persons who are responsible, noting the importance of accountability in preventing future attacks on civil aircraft," the statement published on the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry website read.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed with 298 people on board on July 17, 2014, in eastern Ukraine, while en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, leaving no survivors. Kiev and independence supporters in Ukraine’s southeast have blamed each other for the downing of the MH17 plane.

Dutch investigators published a report in October 2015 claiming that the Malaysia Airlines aircraft appeared to have been downed using a Russia-produced Buk surface-to-air missile system. The report did not identify the exact location from where the missile was fired.

The Russian arms manufacturer that builds Buk missile systems, Almaz-Antey, conducted a separate probe into the crash, finding that the missile that hit the plane could only have been launched from the region of Zaroshchenske, controlled by Kiev forces at the time of the incident.