Russia: MH17 rocket not fired from 'rebel territory' in Ukraine

The Kremlin has said Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was not brought down by a rocket fired from rebel territory in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian comments come as an international team prepares to present its findings on the case.

They were immediately contradicted by relatives of the victims, who told news agencies that according to the new report, the missile did come from rebel territory.

Undertaken by prosecutors from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine, the team will deliver its conclusion on "the weapon that was used to bring down" the plane and the "precise location from which this weapon was launched".

Last year, an investigation by the Dutch Safety Board found the plane was hit by a Buk surface to air missile, a type only made by state-controlled Russian firm Almaz-Antey.

The weapons company said the model was an old one and was no longer used by Russia.

The board did not touch on which side was likely to be responsible for launching the missile but many, including Ukrainian officials and the West, blame Russian fighters and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Boeing 777 was hit during a flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2014, killing 298 people on board, most of them Dutch citizens.

The aircraft fell apart in mid air over rebel-held Ukraine, spreading wreckage over several miles in the country, where Ukrainian government forces were engaged in fierce fighting with pro-Russian separatists.

In May last year, families of 33 of the victims from Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand, launched legal action against the Russian Federation and Mr Putin.

The incident also played a major part in the imposition of European Union and US sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.

Head of the current investigation, Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke, earlier said that they had a "long list of persons of interest" in the case and had been examining debris and ballistics found at the scene of the crash.

The prosecutors may also indicate what charges could be laid against those deemed responsible - criminal negligence, for example - but any moves towards justice will face legal and political obstacles.

Russia used its veto power to block a 2015 attempt to launch a UN-backed tribunal to prosecute the case, with Russia's UN ambassador saying that those supporting the motion were only doing so because "political purposes were more important ... than practical objectives".

Prosecutors have tried to get Russian cooperation in investigations since October 2014 and visited the country in July this year, saying afterwards that Russian officials had "offered information in the past but have not answered all questions".

The father of one of the British victims, Barry Sweeney, whose son Liam was on his way to New Zealand to watch Newcastle United play in a pre-season friendly, told Sky News what he wanted the investigation to achieve.

He said: "My main question is why? Accidents happen... but, there is no reason for why MH17 was brought down.

"(I want) Somebody admitting an error. I do believe it was an accident. I think MH17 probably was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I would just like somebody to own up and say 'look, I know sorry is not the best answer in the world but... it would help to bring closure to what happened that day."