On 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777-200ER, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Soviet-made Buk surface-to-air missile fired by pro-Russian Donetsk separatists. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed, including 80 children. The Joint Investigation Team claimed the missile was operated by Russian-backed rebels near Donetsk, Ukraine during the Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied accusations of Russian involvement. At the time, the shootdown was Ukraine's deadliest aviation disaster and the deadliest aviation disaster involving the Boeing 777.