TIMELINE OF MH17 CRASH:
2014
July 17
- Flight MH17 departs Amsterdam at 12.15pm local time for Kuala Lumpur carrying 298 passengers and crew. It crashes in eastern Ukraine about 50km from Ukraine-Russian border. Within hours, claims emerge that the plane had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Initial reports say 27 Australians were killed.
- A social media site attributed to a pro-Russian rebel leader claims insurgents shot down a military aircraft at the same location. A rebel soldier at the crash site says in an intercepted telephone call that the plane that was shot down 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.
- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak demands perpetrators be brought to justice.
- Ukraine's government and pro-Russian insurgents trade blame for the disaster, amid allegations of Russian involvement. Speculation mounts that plane was hit by Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile launcher.
July 19
- United Nations Security Council convenes emergency meeting on Ukraine crisis and Malaysia demands a full, independent and transparent international investigation.
- Calls mount for Australia to ban Russian President Vladimir Putin from attending G20 summit, to be held in Brisbane in November.
- Prime Minister Tony Abbott calls on Russia to support a "full and fearless" investigation into crash.
July 21
- Abbott speaks to Putin via telephone.
- Australian death toll stands at 37 citizens and residents.
July 22
- MH17 black boxes handed to Malaysian authorities in Donetsk, Ukraine. Train carrying remains of 282 victims leaves Donetsk for Kharkiv.
August 7
- A national day of mourning is held across Australia.
- Dutch recovery team withdraws from crash site.
- Australian death toll stands at 38 citizens and residents.
September 9
- Dutch Safety Board hands down preliminary report into MH17 disaster. 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.
- The finding is consistent with theories the plane was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile system.
- Russian state media claim the plane was downed by Ukrainian fighter jets.
October 13
- Abbott vows to "shirtfront" 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. He tells Putin Australia is in possession of evidence that Russia was involved in shooting down of MH17.
November 16
- Putin attends G20 summit 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.
- A spokesman for the Dutch prosecutor's office describes the theory as "the most realistic and important scenario".
June 25
- The five countries investigating the crash - Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium - call for an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible.
- Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia remains committed to working with the broader international community to secure justice for the families of the victims.
June 30
- Dutch prosecutors say they have identified many "persons of interest" in their inquiry but no definite suspects.
July 1
- Investigation team announces it has prepared a draft final report into the crash. Dutch Safety Board says report was made available on June 2 to representatives of Malaysia, Ukraine, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands. Nations have 60 days to respond. The final report is expected in October.
July 14
- Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium formally ask the UN to set up a tribunal to try those responsible for the downing of the flight.
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