TIMELINE OF MH17 CRASH:
2014
July 17
- Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashes in eastern Ukraine about 50km from Ukraine-Russian border, carrying 298 passengers and crew. Within hours, claims emerge the plane had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
- A pro-Russian rebel leader claims insurgents shot down a military aircraft at the same location, but a rebel soldier says in an intercepted telephone call the plane was civilian.
July 18
- US President Barack Obama says evidence indicates MH17 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched from the area controlled by pro-Russian rebels.
- Ukraine's government and pro-Russian insurgents trade blame, as speculation mounts the plane was hit by Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile launcher.
July 19
- UN Security Council convenes emergency meeting on Ukraine crisis and Malaysia demands a full, independent and transparent international investigation.
- Prime Minister Tony Abbott calls on Russia to support a "full and fearless" investigation into crash.
July 22
- MH17 black boxes handed to Malaysian authorities in Donetsk, Ukraine. Train carrying remains of 282 victims leaves Donetsk for Kharkiv.
August 7
- Australian death toll stands at 38 citizens and residents.
September 9
- Dutch Safety Board preliminary report rules out crew or technical failure as the cause, and concludes a large number of "high-energy objects" penetrated the Boeing 777, causing it to crash.
- Russian state media claim the plane was downed by Ukrainian fighter jets.
October 13
- Abbott vows to "shirtfront" Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit, and says he will tell the Russian leader Australians "were murdered by Russian-backed rebels using Russian-supplied equipment".
October 19
- German intelligence agency, the BND, says it has evidence MH17 was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile system stolen from a Ukrainian base.
November 11
- Abbott confronts Putin at APEC leaders' summit in China, telling him Australia has evidence that Russia was involved in shooting down MH17.
November 16
- Putin attends G20 in Brisbane. There is no "shirtfront" from Abbott.
2015
March 30
- The Dutch-led investigation reaffirms its primary theory that a BUK surface-to-air missile launched from rebel-held territory was responsible for bringing down the flight.
June 25
- The five countries investigating the crash - Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium - call for an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible.
June 30
- Dutch prosecutors say they have identified many "persons of interest" but no definite suspects.
July 14
- Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium formally ask the UN to set up a criminal tribunal to try those responsible.
July 30
- Russia vetoes a UN resolution establishing the tribunal, a move Foreign Minister Julie Bishop describes as "an affront to the memory of the 298 victims of MH17 and their families and friends".
August 11
- Investigators find fragments "probably" from a Russian-made BUK missile at the crash site.
September 29
- Ms Bishop meets with counterparts from Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine at the annual UN General Assembly to discuss potential legal action against Russia, including a treaty-based international court and national prosecutions.
October 13
- The Dutch Safety Board's report to be published. Early leaks indicate the plane was brought down by a BUK surface-to-air missile from a village under the control of pro-separatist rebels, according to Associated Press.
