A portion of the MH17 wing lies in the field as smoke rises behind the tree-line. Russians no longer know what to think. Credit:Kate Geraghty Early on the investigation had eliminated accident or internal terrorist attack as causing the crash. It had also gathered "ample" radar data that eliminated the theory of air-to-air attack from another aircraft. "Even Russia has concluded no second aircraft could have shot down MH17," he said. Wilbert Paulissen, head of the central crime investigation department of the national police of the Netherlands, said MH17 was shot down by a missile "launched from a Buk trailer that was brought in from the territory of the Russian federation and after launch was returned to Russian Federation territory."

A view of the MH17 wreckage at the Gilze-Rijen Military Base in 2015 in Netherlands. Credit:Getty Images Images and video from social media, as well as eyewitness reports and phone intercepts, traced the route of the Buk into eastern Ukraine. It enabled the team to identify a precise launch site, which was confirmed by soil samples, eyewitness reports and satellite photos. Australian Federal Police officers and their Dutch counterparts at the MH17 crash site in the fields outside the village of Grabovka in eastern Ukraine. Credit:Kate Geraghty The territory around the launch site was "controlled by pro-Russian fiighters", he said.

The team confirmed their conclusion with classified intelligence provided by the USA. More video and photos showed the Buk launcher, minus one missile, heading back to Russia. Mr Westerbeke stopped short of saying that Russians, or the Russian state, were responsible, saying it was a matter for ongoing investigation. The team had identified 100 people, suspects and witnesses, who were "one way or another" involved in the movement of the Buk launcher, he said. But the investigators had not yet identified a clear chain of command, so they could assess their culpability.

"We won't say any more today – questions about wehre they were from and what nationality will not be answered," he said. "We have not yet identified any official suspects." He appealed for some of the 100 to give evidence to the investigation, saying they may be able to bargain for lower sentences or immunity from prosecution. The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team included detectives from the Australian Federal Police as well as police from Belgium, Ukraine and Malaysia. AFP Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney was present for the report release. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed on July 17, 2014 in sunflower-sown fields of eastern Ukraine, in an area controlled by pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board the flight died, including 283 passengers, 80 of them children. Of the passengers, 38 were Australian residents. The majority of the rest of the victims were from the Netherlands, and 43 (including the crew) from Malaysia.

Last year the Dutch Safety Board concluded its air safety investigation, publishing a 700-page report that concluded the plane had been hit by a Russian-made surface to air missile. It found that a 9N1314M warhead, fired from a Buk 9M38 launcher, had detonated near the left-hand side of the cockpit. The report said it had "considered, analysed and excluded" other theories, including claims put about by Russia that a Ukrainian fighter jet had attacked the plane. Russia has since walked back that claim, releasing new radar data this Monday that it claimed had "picked up no foreign objects near the Malaysian plane which could have caused its destruction". "The fact that Ukraine has not published radar data leads us to the conjecture that the missile, if it was a Buk, was launched from territory under the control of the Ukrainian military," Russian General Andrey Koban said.

The Dutch Safety Board narrowed the launch site to a 320 square kilometre area in eastern Ukraine, but said further precision was beyond its mandate. The JIT is still gathering evidence for a possible trial. In a statement, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia, along with the other JIT countries – the Netherlands, Malaysia, Ukraine and Belgium – were "considering the prosecution options available". "It is essential the international community continue to support the criminal investigation," Ms Bishop said. "While we cannot take away the grief of those who lost their loved ones that day, we can do everything possible to ensure justice is done independently, fairly and transparently."

A Dutch diplomat told the BBC that the announcement could cause potential suspects to fear for their lives – which may lead them to hand themselves in. Last year Russia vetoed a proposal for an international tribunal that was proposed by Australia and the Netherlands. JIT country representatives met again at the United Nations this month but did not announce any conclusions as to where those responsible for the crash could face trial. Dutch citizen Silene Fredriks-Hoogzand lost her her 25-year-old son Bryce and his girlfriend Daisy in the crash. She told RT.com: "Of course we'd like to hear who did it and why. Why? Was it on purpose or by accident? Who and why? "I just need to know. I have to know."