| 1 | Investigators said on Tuesday that they had found what could be parts originating from a Buk surface-to-air missile system in eastern Ukraine, the area where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed last year. |
| 2 | Dutch prosecutors said that the parts could help provide clues for a criminal investigation into what caused the plane to come down. |
| 3 | They cautioned, however, that it was too early to draw a "causal connection" between the parts and the crash. |
| 4 | The plane was traveling to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, from Amsterdam on July 17, 2014. |
| 5 | All 298 people on board were killed in the crash. |
| 6 | "These parts have been secured during a previous recovery-mission in eastern Ukraine and are in possession of the criminal investigation team and the Dutch Safety Board," the investigators said in a statement. |
| 7 | "The parts are of particular interest to the criminal investigation as they can possibly provide more information about who was involved in the crash of MH17." |
| 8 | Ukraine and some Western countries, including the United States, have said they believe the Malaysian jet was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists. |
| 9 | In September, the Dutch Safety Board issued a preliminary report that said evidence from the crash was consistent with an attack by a surface-to-air missile, although it did not attempt to assign responsibility. |
| 10 | A number of news reports, including in the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, have indicated that the missile system used to shoot down the aircraft was supplied by the Russian military. |
| 11 | Russia has denied any involvement in the crash, and Russian officials have said that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian missile or warplane. |
| 12 | Russia has opposed a United Nations resolution that would create an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for bringing down the plane. |