Nearly 40 Australians died when MH17 was shot out of the sky in 2014. Credit:AP In carefully-worded language, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop did not even mention Russia in a statement released late Wednesday. Instead, she called for the international community to support a criminal investigation and said that "those states that can assist [should] fully cooperate with the investigation and prosecution". Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull raised MH17 with Mr Putin just a few weeks ago and promised Australia would continue to press Russia to back a UN resolution that would allow prosecutions to take place. There is, then, little doubt about who Ms Bishop, Mr Turnbull and the Australian government blame for the atrocity.

Tony Abbott attend a service for victims of MH17 at St Mary's Catherdral in Sydney in 2014. Credit:Peter Parks Former prime minister Tony Abbott wants the government to go further and impose stronger sanctions against Russia. In an interview with Fairfax Media following the release of the Dutch report, Mr Abbott - who helped lead the international response in the wake of the July 2014 incident and famously threatened to shirtfront Mr Putin over the tragedy - said Russia had to be held to account. MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile fired from rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, an investigation has found. Credit:Getty Images Mr Abbott said in the days after MH17 was shot down, it was "fairly clear a missile battery had been moved from Russia into the east of the Ukraine, the rebel-controlled part, fired, downed a civilian aircraft and once they had realised their mistake, gone back to Russia" - a view confirmed by the MH17 investigation.

"Plainly missile batteries don't go from Russia into Ukraine and back again unless they are Russian military batteries," he said. That makes him heavily responsible, if not personally guilty for this gruesome atrocity that cost 38 Australian lives and brought untold misery to hundreds of families around the world "As I said to President Putin at the time, I don't hold you personally responsible but I do hold you broadly responsible for what has happened, because you have instigated this conflict, you have supported the rebels, and your missile launcher has brought down the plane. "That makes him heavily responsible, if not personally guilty for this gruesome atrocity that cost 38 Australian lives and brought untold misery to hundreds of families around the world. "Mr Putin and Russia need to face up to the truth, no more KGB [the former Soviet spy agency Mr Putin served in] trickery, and offer reparations to those families."

Mr Abbott also urged the government to continue the push for justice and intensify sanctions against the Russian regime. "We should be making it absolutely crystal clear that until this matter is not settled, there will be no lifting of sanctions. If anything, we should look at the acceleration of sanctions," he said. "Nothing will bring back the dead, nothing will ease the pain in their hearts, but getting much closer to the truth and resolving the doubt around what happened may be of some small comfort." Labor leader Bill Shorten and foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said in a joint statement it was time for Russia to "abandon its obstructionist approach and fully co-operate with international efforts to find justice for those killed in this senseless and criminal act". "We owe it to victims and their families to do everything possible to ensure those responsible for the downing of MH17 are identified and brought to trial."