MH17 investigators find ‘possible’ Russian missile fragments

The statement from the OVV and JIT said that the pieces being investigated “can possibly provide more information about who was involved in the crash of MH17.

“For that reason the JIT further investigates the origin of these parts. The JIT will internationally enlist the help of experts, among others forensic specialists and weapon-experts,” it said.

Investigators stressed that “at present the conclusion cannot be drawn that there is a casual connection between the discovered parts and the crash of flight MH17.”

The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was blown out of the sky, killing all 298 people on board, two-thirds of them Dutch and many of them children starting their summer holidays.

Russia last month vetoed a bid at the United Nations Security Council to set up an international tribunal to try those behind the shooting down.

Countries involved in that bid are now looking at other means to carry out a prosecution, although no suspects have yet been publicly identified or detained.

The OVV is to release its final report into what, but not who, downed the aircraft in October.