Doomed commercial airline flight MH17 was destroyed by a missile fired from Russian-backed separatist-controlled territory in Ukraine, an international criminal probe has found.

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) also announced on Wednesday night (AEST) that the BUK surface-to-air missile system which killed 298 passengers and crew was driven to separatists from Russia, then driven back.

The investigation pinpointed the exact spot that the BUK missile was fired from – a 600 square metre piece of farmland 20km away from the town of Snizhne, Ukraine.

The JIT used over 120 investigators, analysed half a million videos and photographs, spoke to more than 200 witnesses and drew on 3500 intercepted phone calls before producing the findings.

Investigators reported they had enough evidence to rule out an “air-to-air” attack on MH17, or any alternative cause other than a surface-to-air missile.

On July 17, 2014, the BUK missile hit MH17 – a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 – over Ukraine. It was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board perished, including 38 Australian citizens and residents.

Russia denies involvement

Moscow dismissed the findings as biased and politically motivated.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was “nothing to accept or deny”, as he understood these were preliminary findings.

“We cannot accept as final truth of what they say. I bet you haven’t seen any proof of what they say,” he told the BBC’s Hardtalk program.

Russia ‘Disappointed’ In MH17 Investigation, Dismisses Probe As ‘Biased’: Russian officials have decried the … https://t.co/Zr3MtcWGIh

— Ukraine News🇺🇦 (@UaNews_online) September 28, 2016

He added “We know the devil is in the detail, and we are still missing a lot of the detail.”

But he earlier ruled out that the missile came from Russia.

“We’ve been ruling out the fact that any Russian weapons were shipped to Ukraine, any Russian army members, any Russian troops were inside Ukraine. And we’re still ruling out that possibility.”

“First-hand radar data identified all flying objects which could have been launched or were in the air over the territory controlled by rebels at that moment.

“The data is clear-cut … there is no rocket. If there was a rocket, it could only have been fired from elsewhere.”

Ukraine, Holland, Malaysia react

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko hailed the findings, saying: “We have solid proof of who is to blame for this dreadful crime.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the preliminary findings “an important step on the road to the ultimate goal – finding and prosecuting the perpetrators. The Netherlands lost the most citizens in the disaster, at 193.

Dutch relatives of #MH17 victims tell tv: "Sanctions, it's the only thing we can do. Russia will never extradite these people." pic.twitter.com/kjMwpitOdU

— Eva Hartog (@EvaHartog) September 28, 2016

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said his country sought “firm action” so that those responsible “will be brought to justice”.

Australia calls for full cooperation

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in a statement after the release of the report said it was essential the international community continued to support the criminal investigation.

“Australia calls on those states that can assist to fully cooperate with the investigation and prosecution, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2166 (2014),” Ms Bishop said.

“While we cannot take away the grief of those who lost their loved ones that day, we can do everything possible to ensure justice is done independently, fairly and transparently,” she said.

Russian-backed separatists had been fighting against Ukrainian government forces in Ukraine because of Russia’s claims over Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

Who did it?

The JIT said they had identified 100 people who they believed were in some way involved in shooting down MH17.

These 100 people were involved to differing degrees, the JIT said, and the investigation would continue to identify a chain of command and the differing levels of culpability among the group.

The JIT would not divulge any details about the 100 people, only to say none were yet official suspects.

The missile was fired from this field, JIT found, at the spot zoomed in the red border. Photo: JIT

Dutch Public Prosector Fred Westerbeke told the press conference in Utrecht, Netherlands that it was impossible to say how much longer the investigation would take.

He also said the JIT was still waiting on radar data from Russia.

“Who did it? Who is responsible? [is the next question],” Dutch Head of Central Crime Wilbert Paulissen said.

The next stage of the report would investigate who pushed the button to launch the missile and what happened to the BUK launch pad once it went back into Russia.

After the press conference concluded, the official JIT Twitter account posted in Dutch that it was looking for separatists involved in the launch who went by the code names “Orion” and “Dolphin”.

Damning audio

An audio recording was played that allegedly proved Russian separatists requested a BUK missile and received one.

“This s*** is f***** up and there is nothing we can do about it,” a man on the recording said. “If I can receive a BUK in the morning that would be good … if not things will be totally f***** up.”

A conversation the following morning said: “Where should we unload this b****?”

The JIT showed numerous pictures of the BUK missile platform travelling to and from the launch site. Photo: AAP

The JIT showed and had collected numerous images and videos showing the BUK missile launcher being driven into the area where it was fired from.

It also had evidence showing it left Russia with three missiles and returned with only two.

The JIT comprises officials from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Ukraine, and is backed by a United Nations security council resolution to establish who is responsible for the disaster.

In August 2015, Russia used its veto at the United Nations to block the establishment of an independent tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the tragedy.

In October 2015, a Dutch Safety Board inquiry reported on what happened during the flight’s final moments and found a BUK missile caused the crash.

It revealed the passengers were conscious for 90 seconds after the missile hit MH17.