Suspects in MH17 plane crash to be tried in Dutch court

The reconstructed wreckage of the MH17 airplane is seen after the presentation of the final report into the crash of July 2014 of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in Gilze Rijen, the Netherlands, October 13, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

The decision to probe the case under the Dutch law was adopted by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), consisting of representatives of the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine, the president wrote on Facebook.

"Ukraine will contribute as much as possible and will provide assistance to the Netherlands for the speedy punishment of the perpetrators," Poroshenko said.

The flight MH17 crashed in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board died, among them 196 Dutch citizens.

A report published by the JIT in September 2016 concluded that the plane was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from a region in eastern Ukraine, controlled by independence-seeking insurgents.

Moscow and the rebel leadership in east Ukraine have denied the allegations, saying that the plane was shot by a missile from the territory controlled by Ukrainian government troops.

In December 2016, JIT said that it has identified about 100 people, who are linked to the crash.

The armed conflict between the government and the rebels in eastern Ukraine has been underway since April 2014, claiming some 10,000 lives.