Julie Bishop demands Moscow compensate families of the dozens of Australians killed when the Russian military shot down flight MH17
- Julie Bishop demands Moscow to compensate relatives of victims of MH17
- Missile that shot down flight MH17 came from Russian military, investigators say
- BUK missile fired from Russia's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in Kursk
- Jet was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July, 2014 when it was shot
- All 298 passengers and crew were killed when the plane crashed to the ground
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has demanded Moscow compensate the relatives of victims murdered when Russian military shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was shot down by a BUK missile over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
In a statement released on Friday, Ms Bishop and Attorney General Christian Porter notified the Russian Federation that Australia holds them responsible for the shooting of the plane and they should be held to account.
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Emma Bell (left), originally of Lithgow in NSW, was a passionate teacher who was returning from a trip to Europe to start the new school term in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Jack O'Brien (right) of Sydney, was 25. His family said he was 'loved so much'
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has demanded Moscow compensate the relatives of victims murdered when Russian military shot down Malaysia Airline MH17
'The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) yesterday (Thursday) released significant findings that the BUK missile system used to down MH17 belonged to the 53rd Brigade of the Russian army,' they said in a statement.
'These findings are built on earlier findings that the BUK missile system was taken from Russia to eastern Ukraine and back, immediately after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on 17 July 2014.
'Based on these findings, the only conclusion we can reasonably now draw is that Russia was directly involved in the downing of MH17.
'This evening Australia and the Netherlands notified the Russian Federation that we hold it responsible for its role in the downing. We have requested negotiations to open dialogue around the circumstances leading to the tragic loss of innocent lives.
Downed: The reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 is seen in The Netherlands
Horror: Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shown smouldering in a field on July 17, 2014 in Grabovo, Ukraine near the Russian border
'The Russian Federation must be held to account for its conduct in the downing of MH17 over eastern Ukraine, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 298 passengers and crew, including 38 people who called Australia home.
'Holding the Russian Federation responsible under international law is separate, but complementary to, the prosecution of the individual suspects, which is taking place under the Dutch national system.'
Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said on Thursday the missile was fired by a Russian anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk, near the Ukrainian border.
However, in March, the Russian Ambassador in Australia, Grigory Logvinov, said there was no evidence connecting Russia with the deadly attack, Daily Telegraph reported.
Last shot: This photo shows Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 leaving Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on July 17, 2014
Russian Ambassador in Australia, Grigory Logvinov (pictured) said in March there was no evidence connecting Russia with the deadly attack
Wilbert Paulissen said in the press conference on Thursday: 'The Joint Investigation Team has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia.
'All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces.'
The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a BUK missile fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels, but had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.
Now the team has painstaking recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.
Paulissen added the team had 'ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile.'
The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an 'active role' in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.
Evidence: Russian writing can be seen on the side of the damaged missile put on display
Russian projectile: The damaged Russian missile that shot down flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board, is put on display in Bunnik, Netherlands, today
Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its 'last phase' but added there was 'still work to be done'.
Over the past years 'we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet' to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.
Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.
BUK are a series of surface-to-air missile systems developed by Soviet and subsequently Russia, who has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.
MH17 crashed in Grabovo, Ukraine an area near the Russian border which at the time was under the control of pro-Russian militias.
The plane was shot down in the early stages of the Ukraine War, which began with the Russian annexation of Crimea - a military muscle-flexing exercise by President Vladimir Putin attempting to show off his strength to the West.
This and the anti-government 'revolution' that had shaken the capital Kiev for months, sparked protests by pro-Russian groups in the Donbass region in the east.
This escalated into a full-blown armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists, backed by Moscow, and the Ukrainian government which is still ongoing.
All 298 passengers and crew, which included mainly Dutch citizens but also Brits, Malysians and Australians, were killed in the disaster.
Here Daily Mail Australia pictures the Australian citizens and residents who never made it home.
Dutch language teacher Dafne Nieveen (left) was killed while flying home to Perth. Melbourne-based IT security consultant Marco Grippeling (right) is one of 10 Victorian residents killed in the MH17 flight disaster
Dutchman Itamar Avnon (left) was on a trip to Israel for a wedding and stopped over in Amsterdam to visit friends before boarding MH17 Flight. He was studying Australia. Emiel Mahler and girlfriend Elaine Teoh (right), both 27, were on their way to a wedding in Malaysia but lived in Melbourne
Liliane Derden (left) was a public servant from Canberra whose two daughters changed their Facebook profile pictures to photos of their mother in a touching tribute. Gary Lee, a retiree, ran a Chinese restaurant while his wife Mona (right) was a schoolteacher
Retired Wollongong couple Michael and Carol Clancy (left), in their 60s, were on a three-week European holiday. Gerry Menke and his wife Mary (right) owned an abalone pearl company in Mallacoota. Their business recently won a prize at the East Gippsland Business Awards
Shaliza Dewal (left), 45, and her Dutch husband Hans Van Den Hende (centre) were travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with their three children, Piers, 15, (top right) and Marnix, 12, (top back) and daughter Margaux, 8, (top centre)
Left: Edel Mahady was returning to Perth for the start of the school term at Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School, Kelmscott. Right: Helena Sidelik was travelling home from a friend's wedding in Europe, back to the Gold Coast where she lived
Recently retired couple Wayne and Theresa Baker had two sons, aged in their 20s. The Bakers were based in Buddina on the Sunshine Coast but also lived in Darwin
Left: Nick Norris was travelling with his three grandchildren. Centre: Victorian real estate agent, Albert Rizk. Right: Marie Rizk was travelling with her husband on board MH17
Children Mo, Otis and Evie Maslin from Perth, who perished in the terrorist attack on MH17, were travelling home with their grandfather, Nick Norris, after a family holiday
Arjen Ryder and wife Yvonne from Albany, Queensland, were travelling together. Right: Victor Oreshkin was a religious man who was involved in church ministry
NSW resident Sister Philomene Tiernan (left), and Frankie Davison and her husband, Liam (right), were on the plane
Recently retired pathologist Roger Guard (left) and his wife Jill (right) from Toowoomba in Queensland, have also been identified from the MH17 flight
Mr Horder and his wife Susan, both 63, of Albany Creek, were among the Queenslanders aboard flight MH17 when it was shot down
Fatima Dyczynski's lifelong dream of moving to Perth ended when the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine
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