The long-running inquiry already had established that a Russian-made Buk antiaircraft missile downed Flight 17, but it had not previously made a direct link to the Russian military. At the time of the attack, eastern Ukraine was seething with multiple armed groups. They were operating with Russian support, and Western journalists also spotted at least some Russian troops moving into eastern Ukraine that summer. Rebels in eastern Ukraine on Thursday also denied possessing Russian weapons systems, Interfax reported, citing Eduard Basurin, a rebel official. Flight 17 took off from Amsterdam and passed over eastern Ukraine on its way to Kuala Lumpur, packed with Dutch tourists.

Source: Washington Post May 24, 2018 10:40 UTC