Dutch investigators believe that pieces found at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 likely belong to a Russian-made surface-to-air missile.

The experts are now taking a closer look at seven "fragments of some size (originating) probably from a BUK missile system," Agence France-Presse reported.

Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777, which had been traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine in July 2014. The ensuing crash led to the deaths of all 298 passengers and crew on board the widebody aircraft.

The Dutch Safety Board (OVV), which is looking into the incident and has apparently determined that a missile fired by pro-Russian militants is to blame for the downing, said in a statement that the pieces were "secured during a previous recovery mission (at the crash site) in eastern Ukraine and are in possession of the criminal investigation team."

But "it's too early to say that the fragments we found were, for instance, from the BUK rocket that possibly shot down MH17," Dutch public prosecutor Fred Westerbeke cautioned on state broadcaster NOS.

The OVV and the international Joint Investigation Team will ask both forensic specialists and weapons experts to weigh in on the new evidence, the Independent detailed. What exactly they were looking for, however, was not immediately clear, the newspaper added.

Reports that Russia had doctored two satellite images so it could blame Ukraine in the crash have long fueled suspicions that Moscow-backed groups may have something to hide in the shootdown, Bellingcat, an independent citizen journalist group, has noted.

Confirmation of who was behind the MH17 could have wide-ranging implications. If the attack was committed "by a country -- either directly or indirectly -- then it could be considered an act of war," said former Sen. Carl Levin, who chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Beyond diplomatic squabbles, the families of those who died on Flight MH17 are still hoping for justice, Mashable reported. "We want to find out who shot down the plane," said Ivy Loi, whose husband was one of the pilots. "We must find out."