Flight MH17 Investigation Finds Possible Russian Missile Fragment At Crash Site

Investigators currently probing the crash of flight MH17 near the Russian border in eastern Ukraine, which occurred on on July 17 last year, have found remains of a possible Russian missile among the wreckage around the crash site, possibly confirming the assumption of Russian involvement that was reported in this previous HNGN article.

Fred Westerbeke, a Dutch public prosecutor, has stated that investigations are currently underway to analyze seven "considerable fragments of some size, probably from a BUK missile system."

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was shot down July of last year, during heavy fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists. The fatal incident claimed the lives of all 298 people aboard, according to The Guardian.

Initial accusations were pointed at the rebels after the incident, stating that a BUK missile supplied by Russia to the rebels was utilized to shoot down the aircraft. However, Moscow, as well as the rebels, have denied the allegations, placing the blame on the Ukrainian army instead, reports Yahoo! News.

Westerbeke adds that as of the moment, it is not yet fully clear if the missile fragments found among the wreckage were indeed directly related to the attack that caused the plane to crash.

"It's too early to say that the fragments we found were, for instance, from the BUK rocket that possibly shot down MH17," he said.

Despite the present inconclusiveness of the findings, the discovery of the missile fragments area definite step forward in determining who was behind the attack.

The shooting down of the Boeing 777 passenger plane has pushed the relations between Russia and the West, which has already been at its lowest since the Cold War, even further apart.

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MH17, Flight MH17, Russian, Ukraine, Dutch, Boeing 777, Boeing, Ukrainian, Cold War