A representative of the International Investigation group officially announced that the Buk anti-aircraft missile system, which shot down the passenger Boeing airliner of Malaysia Airlines above the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, belonged to the Russian military.
As it was said at a news conference about the results of the investigation, the Buk system belonged to the 53rd SAM missile brigade of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Investigators came to such a conclusion having analyzed photos and videos from social networks showing the route of the Buk system on June 23-25, 2014, from the Kursk region, where the 53rd Brigade is deployed.
It is considered established that the Buk system left the base on June 23. The system was allegedly part of a convoy consisting of 50 vehicles and six SAMs. Experts of the international investigative group studied distinctive features of the vehicles from dozens of photos that had been uploaded on the Internet back then.
However, Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke stated that he could not say who shot down the Boeing of Malaysia Airlines and why. The main conclusion that has been made for the time being, he said, is the fact that Flight MH17 was shot down from the Buk anti-aircraft complex deployed in a field near the settlement of Pervomaisky, which at that time was staying under the control of pro-Russian separatists.
The prosecutor also said that tens of people appear as suspects on the case. The prosecutor also added that the investigation into the crash of MH17 aircraft was at its last stage, but it was too early to say when the matter was coming to court.
In fact, the last report from the investigative group is rather a discussion thesis, rather than a presentation of objective facts. The head of the investigation department of the police of the Netherlands, Wilbert Paulissen, said that investigators would continue to collect evidence about those directly and indirectly responsible for launching the Buk missile.
On July 17, 2014, Boeing-777, Flight MH17, bound for Kuala Lumpur, was shot down above the Donetsk region of Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members were killed in the crash.