As one year passes following the downing of Malaysian commercial flight MH17 above eastern Ukraine, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has vowed justice will be done and those guilty of bringing down the plane will not evade punishment.
Mr Poroshenko said: "Unfortunately, this civilian aircraft and 298 people on board became a target of the ruthless terrorist attack, launched from a territory occupied by the Russian-backed militants in the East of Ukraine.
"A highly technological weapon, with which the aircraft was shot could have come into hands of the terrorists only from Russia.
"It would not have happened without a participation, without a direct order from the highest political and military leadership of the neighbouring state."
He said that the "moral duty" was to honour the memory of the fallen to "ensure a fair punishment for those guilty in downing the aircraft."
Memorial services will be held in the Netherlands and Ukraine today to mark the first anniversary of the MH17 air disaster over Ukraine. A service was also held in the Australian capital, Canberra.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid tribute to the victims at the ceremony, saying "their passing leaves a void that can never be filled.
"Today our nation pauses to remember the bereaved of MH17 and to will you the grace and strength to cope."
The vast majority of the victims - 196 - were Dutch, 42 were Malaysian and 27 were from Australia.
The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed on 17 July 2014.
The West believes there is evidence the plane was hit by a Russian-supplied missile fired by pro-Russian rebels. Russia denies this, blaming Ukrainian forces for the disaster in the eastern Donetsk region.
Explainer: on the 1st anniversary of the #MH17 crash which claimed 298 lives, the story so far via @HiromiMooney https://t.co/IaGZsBGanU
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 17, 2015
Britain calls for UN tribunal to prosecute MH17 culprits
It comes as British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond called for a UN-backed international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the downing of flight MH17.
"Justice must be delivered for the 298 innocent people who lost their lives," said Hammond, whose country is one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.
"That requires an international tribunal, backed by a resolution binding all UN member states, to prosecute those responsible", he said.
The Netherlands is working with Malaysia, Australia, Belgium and Ukraine on setting up an international court to bring prosecutions.
A draft UN resolution, obtained by AFP, calls for establishing the tribunal under Chapter Seven of the UN charter, which means the court's efforts to prosecute those responsible could be enforced by sanctions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that all investigations into the disaster should be completed before any decision can be taken on how to try the culprits.
US and Russia 'knew 95% of facts within days'
Meanwhile, a law firm that represents victims families has said the US and Russian intelligence services would have known "95% of the facts surrounding the destruction" of flight MH17 within days of it happening.
US-based Wisner Law Firm has launched a $900m (€827m) claim against Igor Girkin, the separatist leader they have named in court papers as being in charge of the east Ukraine separatists at the time. He is now thought to be in Russia.
The firm, which represents families of 18 victims including six Britons, has filed a lawsuit asking for $50m (€45.9m) for each of them.
The legal team insist the claim is not about money, but an attempt to bring out the truth. And they feel sure the security services know more than has been released so far.
The lawyers said in a statement: "Informed sources have stated that the intelligence services of the US and Russia were in possession of 95% of the facts surrounding the destruction of MH17 within days of 17th July 2014.
"President (Barack) Obama and President (Vladimir) Putin would have been briefed accordingly.
"Obviously those known facts remain secret at this time.
"However, international pressure is mounting in support of the families of MH17, whom will not be forgotten or delayed in their search for truth and justice."
The firm stated that the battle to have an international tribunal held following the Lockerbie bombing took 11 years.
A year after the disaster over Ukraine, the Wisner Law Firm statement added: "The families of MH17 should not be expected to wait a further 10 years for the advancement of their search for justice."
