Definitive MH17 crash report to be published October 13th

The Dutch safety board has announced that a final report on the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over the Ukraine will be released on the 13th October. For relatives and governments this news will help shed light on who is being held responsible for the attack on the plane which crashed killing all 298 passengers and crew on board. Currently investigations have led the Dutch Safety Board to believe the aircraft was hit by “high energy objects”. Governments in the West are laying blame at the doorstep of Moscow-backed separatists, believing the plane was brought down by a ground-to-air missile fired in error. Russia has contested such claims, variously attributing the crash to an unidentified Ukrainian fighter aircraft and a Ukrainian-launched anti-aircraft missile. The Dutch Safety Board has not committed itself to any one particular theory.
As two-thirds of the passengers on board the ill-fated flight were of Dutch nationality, the investigation is being carried out by Dutch authorities. However air safety investigations only concentrate on the technical circumstances of crashes and are not responsible for attributing any criminal blame, but in this case critical information about the specific nature of this event may give a clear indication as to who was responsible for firing any missile.
In July Russia vetoed an attempt by the Netherlands, Malaysia and a number of other countries affected by the crash to create an international tribunal with a view to trying those deemed responsible for the downing of the Boeing 777 flight MH17. A United Nations-backed tribunal was the preferred option of these countries as they believed it would have the required legitimacy in order to successfully demand the extradition of any alleged perpetrators. Subsequently, affected countries have decided to pursue alternative routes to prosecute those suspected of involvement.
The Dutch Safety Board also confirmed that relatives of those killed in the flight would be advised of the report’s conclusions prior to release.