Malaysian Airlines MH17: Russia Refuses to Apologise for Plane Crash after Tony Abbott's Call

The Kremlin has rejected Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's call for it to apologise for allegedly shooting down Malaysian Airlines MH17 in July and provide compensation to the relatives left behind.

The aircraft -- with 298 passengers on board -- was allegedly downed by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine with a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia but the country's embassy in Canberra has called on Abbot to produce any evidence to back up his claims.

"We totally refute the allegations and we want to commit to the full and impartial international investigation," spokesman Alexander Odoevskiy said. "If the Prime Minister has, as he declares, any clear evidence, then he should bring it to the table. We haven't seen it."

The plane, which was en route from Amstersam to Kuala Lampur, crashed in the pro-Russia rebel-held city of Donetsk, 40km from the border with Russia.

Following the crash, US intelligence services claimed the missile used for the shooting was provided by Russia.

A preliminary report by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) into the crash ruled out technical faults or actions by the crew. It said the plane broke up in the air due to "a large number of high-energy objects" that penetrated it from the outside.

In September, a mystery benefactor offered $30m (£18.4m) bounty for information via Wifka, a Germany-based fraud investigation company, for information on who shot down the plane.