International investigators have said there are strong indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally decided to supply the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014. The passenger jet was hit by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), comprising investigators from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine, said recorded telephone conversations showed Russian officials stating that the decision to provide military support to Moscow-backed separatists "rests with the President". The team added: "There is concrete information that the separatists' request was presented to the president, and that this request was granted." However, they acknowledged it was not known whether the request "explicitly mentions" the specific missile system used.
The JIT stressed that while there were "strong indications" of Mr Putin's involvement, the evidence did not reach the "high bar of complete and conclusive proof". Additionally, Mr Putin enjoys immunity as a head of state. The investigators said they had exhausted all leads and could not continue with criminal proceedings.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it was "now clear" that Vladimir Putin was involved, describing a pattern of "falsehoods, injustice and aggression". Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin vowed to seek justice through international legal mechanisms. Piet Ploeg, who lost three relatives in the disaster, welcomed the findings, saying "the world knows" of Mr Putin's role.
Moscow has consistently denied any involvement and dismissed previous court verdicts as politically motivated. In January, the European Court of Human Rights agreed to hear a separate Dutch case against Russia over the downing of MH17.
