State Department: US trusts impartiality, professionalism of joint investigation team for MH17 crash

"The United States continues to work with the Joint Investigation Team and law enforcement authorities. We have full confidence that these professionals are conducting an impartial, credible, and comprehensive investigation that will form the basis of an independent prosecution to bring the perpetrators of this tragedy to justice," the U.S. Department said in a statement marking the second anniversary of the MH17 crash. The State Department recalled that the October 2015 report by the Dutch Safety Board confirmed that the MH17 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. "Our own assessment has not changed the missile was fired from territory controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine," the State Department said. As reported, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 people on board. Most of the victims were Dutch and Malaysian nationals. The casualties also included citizens of Australia, Indonesia, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand. The air crash is being investigated by a group of specialists from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. The Dutch prosecution service is leading the group, whose main task is to identify those responsible for the crash. This fall, the joint inquiry group is due to submit its preliminary results, in particular, specifying the weapon which downed the plane and the exact location from where the rocket was launched. The Dutch Safety Board commission investigating the plane crash posted a report on October 13, 2015. The report said the plane was downed with a surface-to-air missile fired from a Buk anti-aircraft missile system. In February 2016, British investigative journalists group Bellingcat presented information regarding the Russian brigade that the group believes provided, and possibly operated, the Buk-M1 missile launcher that downed Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. These are 20 soldiers from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk.