In this file photo taken on Aug 1, 2014, Australian and Dutch investigators examine a piece of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 plane, near the village of Hrabove, Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. (DMITRY LOVETSKY / AP)

Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday it would "examine" the opinion of a Dutch court which said that a Malaysian airliner was shot down in 2014 by a Russian-made missile.

Dutch judges on Thursday convicted three men of murder for their role in the 2014 shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, and sentenced them to life in prison. A fourth man was acquitted.

Dutch judges on Thursday convicted three men of murder for their role in the 2014 shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, and sentenced them to life in prison

In a briefing in Moscow on Thursday, Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ivan Nechaev told reporters: "We will study this decision because in all these issues, every nuance matters. After studying the legal document, we will probably then be ready to offer a comment."

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Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the downing of MH17, a passenger flight that was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew.

Victims' representatives said the ruling is an important milestone, though the suspects remain fugitives.