MH17 plane crash trial opens
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The trial of three Russians and one Ukrainian accused of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has begun in the Netherlands. The suspects, believed to be in Russia, are not expected to attend
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SUSPECTS
1 Igor Girkin (1), former colonel of Russia’s FSB spy service;

2 Sergey Dubinksy (2), employed by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency;

3 Oleg Pulatov (3), former soldier with GRU’s special forces spetsnaz unit;

4  Leonid Kharchenko (4), Ukrainian commander of combat unit in Donetsk
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July 17, 2014, 10:15GMT: MH17 takes off from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, bound for Kuala Lumpur
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RUSSIA Kursk
UKRAINE
POLAND
GERMANY
NETHERLANDS
Black Sea

300km 200 miles
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14:20GMT: Last contact. Plane crashes in rebel-held eastern Ukraine, killing 298
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Area of rebel activity on crash date

RUSSIA
DONETSK REGION
Donetsk
Lysychansk
Snizhne
Last recorded position of MH17
Hrabove: Main debris site
Missile launch site
UKRAINE
Luhansk
LUHANSK REGION 

20km 12 miles

Buk SA-11 missile system
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Dutch-led investigators concluded in May 2018 that plane was hit by Buk missile system belonging to 53rd Anti Aircraft Missile brigade, based in Russian city of Kursk

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Sources: AP, Reuters, BBC Pictures: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS