Investigators Find "Possible" Russian-made Missile Parts at MH17 Crash Site

Possible parts of a Russian missile system have been found in eastern Ukraine at the site where the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed last year, according to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service.

"In cooperation with the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigates several parts, possibly originating from a Buk surface-air-missile system. These parts have been secured during a previous recovery mission in Eastern Ukraine and are in possession of the criminal investigation team MH17 and the DSB," international newswires quoted the Dutch prosecutors as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

It was the first confirmation of physical evidence that the plane could have been brought down by a missile while flying over Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Though the investigators have said previously the crash was most likely due to a missile strike, they have never revealed that they are in possession of possible missile parts.

"The parts are of particular interest to the criminal investigation as they can possibly provide more information about who was involved in the crash of MH17," the carefully worded statement read.

The prosecutors also warned that currently no conclusion can be drawn that there is a "causal connection" between the discovered parts and the crash of the Boeing 777 passenger jet.

Flight MH17 crashed in the region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on 17July 2014, killing all 298 people on board, most of them Dutch citizens. Ukraine government forces and pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk region have been accusing each other of shooting down the plane.

Last month, Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution on establishing an international tribunal for prosecuting the people guilty of downing...