Dutch authorities: Russian missile likely took down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in July 2014 over eastern Ukraine by what is strongly believed to have been a Russian-made surface-to-air missile, a 15-month investigation into the tragedy concluded. The Dutch Safety Board, who published their findings and briefed family members on Tuesday, said the missile detonated near the cockpit, which brought the rest of the aircraft down. Additionally it found that all the passengers likely died or lost consciousness moments after the plane was hit by the missile. All 298 people on board, many of whom were Dutch nationals, were killed.

While Russia has denied that it had anything to do with the downing of MH17, rejecting both that it made the missile or that Russian-backed separatists fired it, the Dutch Safety Board's conclusions are consistent with theories held by authorities in the United States and Ukraine. However, the investigation also concluded that the airspace over eastern Ukraine should have been closed, with the Dutch Safety Board chairman, Tjibbe Joustra, saying, "None of the parties involved recognized the risk from the armed conflict on the ground."

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