KUALA LUMPUR: Raw data, including radar images of air traffic movements over eastern Ukraine dating back to when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down, has been released by Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey.

According to reports by Australian news portal news.com.au, the arms supplier announced through the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday that it has turned over raw radar, including critical primary radar data.

“For almost two years, the multinational police Joint Investigations Team (JIT) has appealed to both Russian authorities and the state-owned arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey to release raw radar and Buk missile data involving the Ukraine-Russian border region where the Malaysian flight was down on July 17, 2014.

“Almaz-Antey said it had only just “uncovered” the material, including airspace radar images, from one of its radar and control system production plants in Lianozovo when it was conducting an archive inspection,” the report said.

The move comes just days ahead of the public release of the interim report by criminal investigators.

MH17, en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

On July 17, 2015, the Dutch Safety Board concluded its investigations with the finding that the Boeing 777 jet was hit by a Russian guided missile.

-BH Online