Dutch Safety Board: Russian Missile Downed MH17

The report explains that MH17 progressed normally at 33,000 feet flying over the eastern part of Ukraine until 13:20 UTC when the missile detonated on the left and above the cockpit. The impact caused the cockpit and business class section to separate, and the airplane disintegrated during its descent leaving no survivors.

From the wreckage that was scattered over six different sites, they found that the front section was perforated by hundreds of high-energy objects — fragments that were similar shaped were found in the bodies of the crew in the cockpit. Paint on the fragments found inside the wreckage also matched paint on the recovered missile parts.

The described damage pattern can been seen in photos from the presentation of the MH17 final report, where the front part of the 777 was reconstructed.

However, as a result of the Dutch report, the Russian company that produces the Buk surface-to-air missile system has been denying these conclusions, stating that the 777 was brought down instead by a different model of Buk fired from a different location, according to several news sources.

Ukraine has called for a separate criminal investigation.

Watch a short video released by the Dutch Safety Board that summarizes their conclusions here.

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