Rob Stothard
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was struck by “high-energy objects from outside the aircraft,” according to Dutch officials in their preliminary investigative report on the July 17 crash. The findings of the investigation, which is based in The Hague, are consistent with theories that the passenger jetliner was struck by a missile designed to detonate before impact, which caused the plane to crash in eastern Ukraine. Specifically, the Dutch Safety Board reported that the objects hit the cockpit and front fuselage of the eastbound plane, which suggests they were launched from eastern Ukraine or western Russia. The investigators also found that the “black boxes” hadn’t been tampered with, and there were no signs of mechanical or pilot-related failure. Moscow has adamantly denied any involvement in the downing of MH17, which killed all 298 people on board. U.S. intelligence officials believe pro-Russian separatists were most likely responsible, but other evidence published Monday suggests Russia fired the missile.