The criminal investigation

A special team, known as the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), was established to conduct the criminal investigation. The JIT comprises officials from the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and the Dutch police, along with police and criminal justice authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine.

Purpose of the criminal investigation

The purpose of the criminal investigation is to

  • establish the facts of the case;
  • determine the truth of what happened;
  • identify those responsible for downing flight MH17;
  • gather criminal evidence for prosecution.

Online magazine about the investigation

The JIT has published an online magazine about the criminal investigation into the crash of flight MH17. It contains information about how the investigation is being conducted.

Progress of the criminal investigation

On 28 September 2016 the Public Prosecution Service issued a statement informing the media and next of kin about the status of the investigation.

On 5 July 2017 the JIT countries decided that the prosecution of those responsible for downing flight MH17 would be conducted in the Netherlands. On 24 May 2018 the JIT announced that the Buk missile installation that brought down the flight belonged to the Russian army.