A
missile that brought down
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern
Ukraine in 2014 was fired from a launcher belonging to
Russia's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade, investigators said Thursday.
The Buk missile was fired from a farm near Pervomaisk, the Joint Investigation Team into the
MH17 disaster told a news conference in the Netherlands.
"At the time this area was under control of pro-Russian separatists," said Fred Westerbeke, chief prosecutor of the National Prosecutor's Office of the Netherlands. The Buk launcher of the 9M38 series "was transported from the territory of the Russian Federation and was returned to that territory of the Russian Federation afterwards."
Westerbeke highlighted how "this raises questions such as to whether the brigade was actively involved in downing MH17. It is an important question which the JIT are still investigating."
A total of 298 people from 17 countries died when the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, was brought down in eastern Ukraine in July 2014.
An update posted online by investigators Thursday said the JIT was "convinced" that the Buk TELAR (transporter erector launcher and radar) used to down MH17 originated from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade, a unit of the Russian army from Kursk in Russia.
The team's conclusion was based on "extensive comparative research" that identified characteristics particular to that individual Buk launcher.
The team has also called for witnesses and members of the public to come forward to help identify anyone involved in operating the missile system.
"The authorities of the Russian Federation have, up to now, not reported to the JIT that a Buk of the 53rd brigade was deployed in Eastern Ukraine and that this Buk downed flight MH17," Westerbeke said.
"On 15 October 2014 the JIT already asked the Russian authorities to provide the JIT (in line with resolution 2166 of the UN Security Council) with all information that may be important for establishing the truth.
"Because the JIT no longer wants to exclusively turn to the Russian authorities to obtain information about this subject, the JIT also calls in the assistance from the public today -- through the media -- to answer questions that relate to the control of and the use of the Buk TELAR, as well as about the missile that was launched with that TELAR."