The Russian military said on Monday that the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, killing all 298 people on board, came from the arsenals of the Ukrainian army, not from Russia.

The jet was shot down by a Soviet-made missile over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in July 2014, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Russian border, where fighting had been raging for months between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists.

Associated Press reporters sighted a Buk missile system not far from the site just hours before the plane crash.

The Netherlands and Australia announced in May that they believe the missile was transported to Ukraine from a military unit in the Russian city of Kursk.

Russia has vehemently denied involvement and has over the years offered various theories as to the cause of the crash.

Lt. Gen. Nikolai Parshin, chief of the Missile and Artillery Directorate at the Russian Defense Ministry, told reporters on Monday that the military had studied and declassified archives at the research centre outside Moscow that produced the Buk missiles, after the Dutch investigators displayed parts of the missile and their serial numbers.

Parshin said the Russian archives show that the missile that was made of these parts was transported to a military unit in western Ukraine in 1986, and to Russia's knowledge never left Ukraine.

The media was allowed to photograph and film what the ministry said were records showing the transfer.

Asked about the possibility that the separatists may have seized the missile system during fighting in 2014, Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov conceded that Russia does not have any documents proving otherwise but pointed to the statements of Ukrainian officials who have denied that separatists seized any of their Buks.

Moscow - 17 September 2018

1. News conference

2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Lieutenant-General Nikolai Parshin, head of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation:

"886847379 - this rocket was sent in December 1986, to the 223 antiaircraft brigade, Unit 20152, in the Ukrainian Socialist Republic, and now is the part of Ukrainian military forces. Rocket no 886847379 belongs to Ukrainian military forces and didn't come back to the territory of Russian Federation. We have already notified the Dutch side."

3. Various of reports showing the rocket transfer, media

4. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Igor Konashenkov, Major General and chief spokesman for the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation:

"Highly qualified Russian experts have analysed videos and came to the conclusion, that they are falsified."

++AUDIO STARTS ON BLACK FRAME++

5. Video footage on screen showing vehicles with Russian experts talking over (they are videos that Russian experts tried to analyse as part of their investigations), UPSOUND (Russian): "Examples of the unnatural depiction of landscape, rockets and transporters, and some other evidence, say that all of them were taken in different places as static images and then animated to create false videos. Using this simple way to create videos we can place Abrams tank on the streets."

6. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Igor Konashenkov, Major General and chief spokesman for the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation:

"We have the recording of the telephone conversation of Ukrainian military forces in 2016."

7. Alleged recording of conversation of Ukrainian military forces during military exercises in 2016 shown on screen, UPSOUND (Russian): "If things will go on like that, we will hit another Malaysian Boeing. Tell them that!"

8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Igor Konashenkov, Major General and chief spokesman for the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation:

"This voice belongs to the Colonel of Ukrainian Military forces, Grinchak Ruslan Nikolaevich."

9. Media

10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Igor Konashenkov, Major General and chief spokesman for the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation:

"By hiding this information, Ukraine as member of the international investigation team, abuses it's position and manipulates the investigation."

11. Igor Konashenkov leaving

12. Screen with title reading (Russian): "Briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defence about new facts of crash of Boeing-777 "Malaysia Airlines"

13. Media photographing and filming documents

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected charges against Russian citizens for their alleged roles in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over Ukraine five years ago, saying they lack proof.

The international team investigating the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 announced murder charges Wednesday against three Russians and one Ukrainian for their alleged roles in the attack that killed all 298 people on board.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Putin claimed "there is no proof whatsoever" behind the charges and criticised the investigators, saying they ignored evidence provided by Russia.

He blamed Ukraine for setting the stage for the tragedy, saying they failed to close their airspace to commercial flights despite the separatist fighting in the east.

Putin says Russia remains open for dialogue on the case.

Putin said that Russian private military contractors have been active in Syria, adding that they don't represent the Russian state.

Asked why the government doesn't offer veterans' benefits to private contractors who fought in Syria, Putin said Thursday that they have been there in their private capacity and engaged in "oil exploration."

He added that it was "not the Russian government and not the Russian State" so he wouldn't comment on it.

The statement marked Putin's first acknowledgement that Russian private military contractors were active in Syria.

Russian media have reported that the so-called Wagner Company has sent thousands of mercenaries to Syria, augmenting the Russian military.

The company has been linked to businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, indicted by the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 elections.

Putin said that Russia doesn't want to regain its Soviet-era superpower clout.

Asked if Russia has regained the Soviet Union's superpower status, Putin said it's not needed.

Speaking after Thursday's call-in show, the Russian leader told reporters that "we don't want to be like the Soviet Union that enforced its way of life and political system on its neighbours, including countries of Eastern Europe."

He noted that the Soviet policy was "counterproductive, too costly and lacking historic perspective" and "it's impossible to force other people to live according to your rules."

Putin charged that the U.S. has failed to learn from Soviet mistakes in a bid for global domination.

Moscow - 20 June 2019

1. Wide of Russian President Vladimir Putin walking up to microphones

2. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"Russia has never tried to escape any responsibility, if she had that responsibility on its shoulders. Those facts that we saw presented as evidences of our guilt do not satisfy us. There is not any proof there. All the facts presented there mean nothing."

3. Putin listening as journalist asks questions

4. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"We have our own version, we have presented it, but unfortunately nobody is eager to listen to us. Until there is a true dialogue, we will not find a right answer and the questions about the tragedy of the airplane and the death of people will be still open."

5. Camera operators filming

6. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"We're not looking for this status, it is not our aim. This notion comprises some elements which are interpreted as imposing its influence on other states and the whole regions".

7. Journalist asking question

8. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"We don't want to be like the Soviet Union that enforced its way of life and political system on its neighbours, including countries of Eastern Europe. It is counterproductive, too expensive and lacking historic perspective. It's impossible to force other people to live according to your rules. But it seems that this sad experience of the Soviet Union is not being taken into account by our Western partners. They are repeating the same mistakes, they are stepping on the same rake."

9. Journalist asking question

10. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"They are not employed by the Russian government. And they don't participate in military operations. They are solving the issues of economic character, to the oil extraction. That is all what it is about."

11. Wide of Putin listening to question

12. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"Of course we recognise that even working on these economic activities, people risk their lives. And, by the way, this is also an investment into the fight with the terrorism, because they fight out these fields from the Islamic State. But that is not Russian government and not the Russian State. So we don't comment on that."

13. Wide of Putin listening

14. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President:

"What am I expecting from this meeting? I expect the continuation of the dialogue. I'm sure that Shinzo (Abe), as well as all of us, want the complete normalisation of relations and the signing of the peace treaty. It seemed to be very close, but now there are some issues appear that postpone the final solution of this issue. But what is completely obvious, and I have spoken about that before, is that the Japanese side and Russia want the complete normalisation of our relations."

15. Wide of Putin leaving

Russia is rejecting the claim by the Netherlands and Australia that it is legally responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over war-ravaged eastern Ukraine nearly four years ago, killing all 298 people on board.

The accusations came a day after international investigators announced that the missile system that brought down the plane was whisked into Ukraine from a Russian military unit.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said the government is now taking the next step by formally holding Russia accountable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, rejected the accusations.

He said Friday that Russia has been barred from the investigation and thus can't trust its results.

He also charged that Ukraine contributed to the tragedy by failing to ban civilian air traffic over the war zone.

FILE: Moscow, Russia - 6 April 2017

1. STILL of Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ++OVERLAYS AUDIO IN SHOT 2++

Moscow, Russia - 25 May 2018

2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin:

"You know probably that this topic was discussed yesterday and I want to remind you of the words of the (Russian) President about the investigation that was held in the Netherlands, by this group of investigators. It didn't include the Russian side. However, the Ukrainian side was present. Of course without having an opportunity to be a full member of this investigative group, Russia doesn't know if it can trust the results of this work. This is the first thing."

++BLACK FRAMES++

FILE: Moscow, Russia - 6 April 2017

3. STILL of Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ++OVERLAYS AUDIO IN SHOT 5++

Moscow, Russia - 25 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin:

"Secondly, we'd like to remind that it was Ukraine, where military actions took place at that time, who didn't take appropriate steps to close its air space (to civilian air traffic). So these are the two most important elements President Putin mentioned yesterday. (Q: So in terms of the essence of the accusation you can simply repeat that Russia categorically rejects it?) Absolutely."

++BLACK FRAMES++

FILE: Moscow, Russia - 6 April 2017

5. STILL of Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ++OVERLAYS AUDIO IN SHOT 8++

Moscow, Russia - 25 May 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin:

"On the whole, the president is worried and regrets this cancellation (of the US-North Korea summit). The president together with our European partners is determined to work actively in order to minimise the negative consequences of the US decision, to provide the feasibility and further development of the JCPOA."

Russian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, who was part of a major prisoner exchange with Ukraine, said on Monday that the weekend swap marked a "tectonic shift" in Russia's relations with Kyiv.

Vyshinsky, who is head of the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti's Ukraine branch, had been jailed since 2018 on treason charges.

He arrived at a briefing on Monday alongside Dmitry Kiselyov, head of the Rossiya Segodnya media group that includes the RIA-Novosti agency.

Vyshinsky was greeted by fellow journalists and was presented with a T-shirt bearing the slogan: "A journalist shouldn't be in prison".

It's a tectonic shift (talking about the prisoner swap) in our relations (with Ukraine). At least, I would really like it to be the case," he said at the news briefing.

Russia and Ukraine each sent 35 freed prisoners as part of the swap, in a move that could be a significant step toward easing Russia-Ukraine relations and raise chances for resolving the fighting in Ukraine's east.

The prisoners included some of the highest-profile figures in the long conflict between Kyiv and Moscow, including Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director whose imprisonment on a conviction of preparing terrorist attacks was strongly denounced abroad and 24 Ukrainian sailors seized last year by the Russian navy.

Among those released by Ukraine was Volodymyr Tsemakh, who commanded a separatist rebel air defense unit in the area where a Malaysian airliner was shot down in 2014, killing all 298 people aboard.

Dutch investigators probing the aircraft's downing have wanted to question Tsemakh and dozens of Ukrainian lawmakers last week urged Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy against trading him.

Moscow – 9 September 2019

1. Various of journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, Russian prisoner who was released as part of prisoner swap with Ukraine on Saturday, walking with Dmitry Kiselyov, head of the Rossiya Segodnya media group and greeting colleagues

2. Woman holding poster with picture of Vyshinsky reading (Russian) "Welcome, Kirill!"

3. Wide of group of journalists

4. Kiselyov presenting Vyshinsky with a T-shirt, reading (Russian) "A journalist shouldn't be in prison."

5. Close of poster with picture of Vyshinsky reading (Russian) "Welcome, Kirill!"

6. Wide of news conference

7. Vyshinsky and Kiselyov sitting at table

8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Kirill Vyshinsky, Russian journalist:

"It's a tectonic shift (talking about the prisoner swap) in our relations (with Ukraine). At least, I would really like it to be the case. Because, let's be clear, (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy won thanks to the enormous expectations of the people for peace and reconciliation inside the country, so that they would actually stop shooting. And of course, everyone is waiting for this."

9. Cutaways of reporter asking question

10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Kirill Vyshinsky, Russian journalist:

"When I saw the indictments against me by SBU (Ukrainian Security Service), I realised that there wouldn't be any kind of real trial based on these indictments. They had another aim: I had to be kept in prison in order to be exchanged later. Moreover, they planned not only to exchange me, but to use me to exert pressure."

11. Cutaway of news conference

12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Kirill Vyshinsky, Russian journalist:

"I don't think that PR (talking about Zelenskiy greeting Ukrainian prisoners at the airport in Kyiv) has anything to do with humanism. From my point of view, the exchange of the people who were by my side (in the airplane) was an act of humanism that was being fought for. And the men of conscription age walking down the ramp were...well, the men of conscription age understand the responsibility they bear, inclining the military (responsibilities), when they have carried out some acts. But I don't know what crimes the women who arrived with me committed."

13. Vyshinsky getting up and hugging colleague as news conference comes to end