Russian satellite images purporting to show Ukrainian rocket launchers could have brought down flight MH17 last July are fake, according to investigative website Bellingcat.com in a new report.

The website says the images presented by the Russian defence ministry at a press conference on July 21 showing Ukrainian Buks were close enough to hit MH17 actually date from June 2014.

Error level analysis also shows the images have been edited, the website states. ‘This includes a Buk missile launcher that was removed to make it appear the Buk missile launcher was active on July 17, and imagery where Buk missile launchers were added to make it appear they were within attack range of Flight MH17,’ the website states.

This evidence means all four major claims made by the Russian defence ministry at a press conference on July 21 have been shown to be false, the website states.

‘These claims… are a clear attempt by the Russian government to deceive the public, the global community and the families of MH17 victims, only days after flight MH17 was shot down,’ the website states.

All 298 people on board the Malaysian Airways plane, which was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, were killed when it was brought down by a missile. Most of those on board were Dutch and Dutch experts are leading the investigation into what happened.