Ukrainian envoy Olexander Nechytaylo welcomed the Joint Investigation Team's (JIT) interim report, saying that it provided conclusive evidence that MH17 was shot down by a BUK 9M38 missile brought from Russia.

Nechytaylo described the report released in the Netherlands today as "an important milestone and a big step forward reflecting the long and exhaustive work that has been done so far."

The ambassador to Malaysia said that the report conclusively stated that the plane was shot down by a BUK 9M38 series surface-to-air missile, brought from Russia, launched from the territory controlled by Russian-backed separatist militia and taken back to Russia.

"The collected supporting evidence can be used by the prosecution and is admissible in court," he said in an immediate response to Bernama via email.

The MH17 plane was shot down in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people onboard, including 44 Malaysians.

The ambassador appreciated JIT's significant progress in the investigation which has answered some questions that had been on people's minds, especially the victims' next-of-kin.

He said that Ukraine and Malaysia together with other JIT member-states such as Netherlands, Australia and Belgium are making progress with an effective prosecution mechanism for those responsible for the downing of MH17.

"While we cannot take away the grief of those who lost their loved ones that day, we can do everything possible to ensure justice is done independently, fairly and transparently," he added.

He assured that Ukraine will not rest until justice for the victims of MH17 be served no matter how long it takes.

The Boeing 777 left Amsterdam at 12.15pm (local time) on July 17 and was scheduled to arrive at the KL International Airport at 6.10am (Malaysian Time) the next day.

A Dutch Safety Board-led team released a technical report on Oct 13 last year confirming that MH17 was shot down by a surface-to-air BUK missile in eastern Ukraine.

- Bernama