MH17 report reveals missile that downed Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine DID come from Russia and WAS fired from territory held by Moscow-backed rebels
A DAMNING report has confirmed a missile that downed jet MH17 was fired from an area held by Russian-backed rebels.
And investigators confirmed the Buk rocket - which caused the deaths of all 298 people on board - had been transferred to the area from neighbouring Russia just days earlier.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) made up of police officers from Australia, Holland, Belgium, Malaysia and the Ukraine were presenting the first findings of the two-year Dutch-led probe.
Shockingly, it was revealed that the missile launcher then RETURNED to Russia following the murderous mission.
Dutch police investigator Wilbert Paulissen said: "Based on the criminal investigation, we have concluded that flight MH17 was downed by a Buk missile of the series 9M83 that came from the territory of the Russian Federation."
Devastated families of those on board were the first to hear the damning verdict.
And they confirmed investigators plan to launch proceeding against 100 suspects linked with the tragedy.
One confirmed: “We cannot and do not want to tell you everything yet because that could jeopardise the investigation."
Another said: "They told us how the Buk was transported [and] how they came to that evidence from phone taps, photo, film material, video."
Head of victim group the MH17 Foundation Dennis Scouten said families had been given "200 per cent" proof Russian-backed groups were behind the crash.
The location from which the missile was fired has long been considered critical to confirming if the plane was downed from within Russian-separatist controlled territory near the village of Snizhne.
And it was determined the rocket was fired from an area controlled by Ukraine rebels.
Russia immediately rejected the "extremely political" findings.
President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said: "The hole story is unfortunately surrounded by a huge amount of speculation and unqualified, unprofessional information.”
The findings were the result of thousands of hours of meticulous evidence gathering and interviews that could be later used in a criminal trial to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Evidence included intercepted conversations into the origins of the rocket made one day before it was fired.
An individual speaking Russian can be heard to say: “This sh** is f***ed up and there is nothing we can do about it.
“If I can receive a Buk in the morning that would be good...if not things will be totally f***ed up.”
In a later conversation another voice said: "Where should we unload this bitch?”
Last year, the Dutch Safety Board investigation revealed the plane travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur broke apart in mid-air after a Buk missile made by Russia manufacturer Almaz-Antey exploded within one metre of the cockpit.
A chilling video released by air crash investigators showed the devastating impact on the doomed jet, which demonstrated their belief the Boeing 777 was downed over Ukraine by a surface-to-air rocket.
Nearly 200 Dutch and 38 Australian citizens and residents were killed.
lead investigator Eliot Higgins, who was the first to track the Buk missile using crowd-sourced data, hours after
Ninety-seconds of terror: How MH17 victims could have been alive during terrifying plummet from 40,000ft
Investigators believe passengers on doomed flight MH17 could have been alive for up to 90 seconds after the plane was hit by a missile.
Shrapnel from the Buk rocket sprayed into the nose of the plane, killing the pilots and sheering off the front of the jet.
But the effects would not have been fatal to rest of the passengers.
Investigators believe the majority of passengers would have died from a mix of decompression, reduced oxygen levels, extreme cold and flying debris.
Nevertheless, it is believed some would have remained alive when the doomed jet hit the ground - some 90 seconds after being hit.
Such was the force of the powerful air flows that hit passengers that some had their clothes ripped from them.
Another was found in the wreckage wearing an oxygen mask, backing the theory that many were conscious throughout the plunge.
Investigators found no evidence that any on board had tried to compose text messages before they died.
MH17 crashed in the Donetsk region, said the location the missile was launched from is critical.
Speaking before the point of launch was revealed, he said: “If it's in separatist held territory it will be very difficult for anyone to claim Ukraine shot down MH17."
“That's something I don't think the Russian government would like, as we've also pointed to their 53rd air defence brigade as being the source of the Buk that short down MH17.”
Higgins added the group will be watching closely to see if the findings confirm their belief the missile was launched from just south of Snizhne.
He said: “At that point there can really only be one conclusion about which side of the conflict was responsible for shooting down MH17.”
Russia has denied responsibility for the downing of the plane.
On Monday, the country's head of air and space forces Andrew Koban said previously missing raw data, which had recently been found, shows it could not have been a Buk missile from inside Russian-backed territory that downed the plane.
"We can conclude that if it was a BUK that was launched at the (Malaysian Airlines flight), this must have been launched from a location with the Ukrainian forces," he said.
The investigation into the perpetrators remains ongoing.
Last week foreign ministers from the JIT countries met in New York to discuss how to prosecute those responsible following a Russian veto of a Security Council Resolution for a UN-Tribunal last year.
“The countries remain fully committed to take effective measures to hold those who are responsible to account.
"There must be justice for the families and loved ones of those killed on MH17,” a joint statement read.
Wednesday’s findings come at a low-point for Western relations with Russia.
There has been a collapse of a cease-fire in Syria and widespread hacks which have disrupted the US presidential race.
The US and UK have branded Russia guilty of “war crimes” and “barbarism” in Syria.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hit back at the “unacceptable tone” which “can damage and harm our relations.”