MH17 fifth anniversary

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, resulting in the tragic deaths of 298 passengers and crew, including 38 Australians.

Our thoughts remain with those who perished on board, and their families and loved ones.

While nothing can bring back those who lost their lives, the Australian Government remains resolute in its commitment to pursuing accountability for the downing and to achieving justice for the victims and their loved ones.

We pay tribute to the Australian Federal Police whose officers travelled to Ukraine and the Netherlands to investigate the crash, bring the victims home and continue to work to uncover the truth.

The announcement by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on 19 June of the indictment of four individuals for their alleged roles in the downing is a significant step towards justice and accountability and the Government commends the ongoing meticulous work of the JIT, which involves authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

Together with the Netherlands we are engaging in talks with the Russian Federation arising out of our joint assertion on 25 May 2018 of Russia's state responsibility for its role in the downing.

Australia has committed $50.3 million over four years to support the prosecution and ongoing investigation and to ensure the victim's families and loved ones can meaningfully participate in the Dutch court proceedings.