In July 2014, a Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine, which is dominated by pro-Russian forces, killing 298 passengers and crew. It announced that it is highly likely that it has decided to provide the forces with surface-to-air missiles.
The investigative team said it was “strongly indicated” that Mr Putin had decided to provide the missiles. However, it reached the conclusion that prosecution would be difficult, saying that “complete and conclusive evidence has not been found.”
In June 2019, investigative teams announced they would indict four people, including a former Russian colonel, on murder charges for deploying missiles. A Dutch court sentenced three of them to life in prison last November.