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| A Buk-M1-2 SAM system 9A310M1-2 TELAR (Image: Wiki Commons) |
THE HAGUE, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Buk missile that downed flight MH17 was brought from Russia and fired from a region in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian rebels, according to the Joint Investigation Team's (JIT) report released Wednesday by the Netherlands Public Prosecutor's Office.
The report concluded the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down by a Buk missile which was brought from Russia to Ukraine.
The weapon was fired from a field in the Ukrainian village Pervomaysk, which at the time of the disaster was in the hands of pro-Russian rebels, it said. The launcher was then brought back to Russia, according to the JIT's initial probe.
In a response to the report, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was "disappointed" by the findings and the investigation was biased and politically motivated.
The investigation team said they based their findings on information collected from radar images, thousands of pieces of wreckage, photos, videos, tapped phone calls and testimonials from people who have seen the Buk missile being driven.
"Intercepted telephone conversations show that during the days prior to July 17, the pro-Russian fighters mentioned they needed better air defense systems to defend themselves against these air strikes. In this respect, a BUK was discussed explicitly. The fact is that a BUK has a higher range than the air defense systems in use by the separatists at that moment, such as the Strela and Igla," said the JIT report.
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