Trial to start of four men accused of shooting down Flight MH17 over the Ukraine

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Four men go on trial in the Netherlands on Monday, in the first criminal case over the murder of 298 people on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine in 2014.

The Boeing 777 went down amid a conflict in eastern Ukraine, after Russian-backed rebels seized the area.

Investigators say they have proof the Buk missile system that shot it down came from a military base in Russia.

Press tour of courtroom where international trial on downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 will take place — A view of the lobby of the courtroom inside the Schiphol Judicial Complex (SJC) in Badhoevedorp, The Netherlands, 03 March 2020. The District Court of The Hague is set to hold its hearings for the international criminal trial on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 at the heavily-protected SJC. The Netherlands’ Public Prosecution Service has issued international arrest warrants against four suspects (three Russians and a Ukrainian citizen) for allegedly bringing down the passenger jet. The plane crashed in eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014, presumably after being shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile amid the armed conflict in the Donbass region. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members, belonging to 10 different nationalities, were killed. EPA-EFE/ROBIN UTRECHT

The four suspects are unlikely to take part in the trial.

Three of the men are Russian and one is from eastern Ukraine. Neither country extradites its citizens but one of the Russians will have a defence team in the courtroom and the court says it is also prepared to accept testimony from them by video link.

Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the deadly attack on 17 July 2014. Citizens of 10 different countries died on flight MH17.