THE HAGUE - The installation of the Buk missile that shot downed the flight MH17 in 2014 came from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian army in Kursk, announced the Dutch-led five-nation joint investigation team (JIT) on Thursday.

Images of the rocket installation showed that it had unique external characteristics and after extensive comparisons with other Buk-Telar installations it became clear that the installation in question came from the 53rd missile defense brigade from Kursk in Russia, said chief Dutch police investigator Wilbert Paulissen at a press conference presenting the JIT findings.

Russia has always rejected the JIT findings, calling it "biased and politically motivated".

On July 17 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine. The plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. On board were 283 passengers and 15 crew members. Among the passengers were 196 Dutch nationals.