A high-ranking Russian espionage chief is reportedly a person of interest in the MH17 disaster investigation.
Investigator Fred Westerbeke has candidly reflected on Russia's involvement in the case,saying it continually attempted to mislead detectives.
Investigators have amassed a dossier of testimony from pro-Russia fighters who were nearby when all 298 passengers and crew were killed.
The missile launcher that destroyed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was actually one of two deadly Buk-TELAR systems smuggled over the border from Russia.
The long-awaited trial is expected to be shown new photographs of the launch of a missile that shattered the plane over eastern Ukraine.
In a rare interview,Dr Alexey Pavlovsky,a long-time Russian diplomat,claimed key photographic evidence was'falsified'and withheld from the public.
"When it comes to ethics and morality,not all that much has changed since the worst days of the Soviet Union."
The MH17 trial will be no ordinary court case. For a start,the country many hold responsible for mass murder isn't even in the dock.
Dutch prosecutors want to see four people convicted over their roles in bringing down MH17. Who are these people and where are they being tried?
The Netherlands is leading an investigation into MH17 being shot down on July 17,2014,killing all 298 people on board.
The trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with murder over the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane five years ago begins next month.