Kremlin rubbishes Netherlands' report that Russia behind MH17 drowning; says it 'distrusts' report

The Kremlin on Friday rejected allegations of any Russian involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, an incident in which 298 people were killed.

The Netherlands said on Friday it held the Russian state responsible and a Dutch cabinet statement said a "possible" next step would be presenting the case to an international court, adding Australia shared its assessment of Russia's role.

Dutch prosecutors on Thursday identified a Russian military unit as the source of the missile that shot down the plane.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Friday that Russia had not been a fully-fledged participant in the Dutch investigation into the incident and could not therefore trust its findings.

When asked if the Kremlin denied allegations of Russian involvement, he said: "Absolutely."

Peskov referred a question about possible compensation for families of the victims to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, the Netherlands and Australia said on Friday they held the Russian state responsible in part for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July 2014 that killed all 298 aboard, and will seek compensation.

MH17 was shot down over territory held by pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014 as it flew from Amsterdam en route to Kuala Lumpur. Victims were from 10 nations and included 193 Dutch and 28 Australian citizens.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said a possible next step would be presenting the case to an international court, though first the Netherlands and Australia would seek a more substantial reaction from Moscow.

"It has now been indisputably proven that there is a direct link between the rocket that hit MH17 and the Russian army," Blok told a news conference in The Hague.

"We call on Russia to accept its responsibility and cooperate fully with the process to establish the truth and achieve justice for the victims of Flight MH17," he said.