A man who lost both his parents when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in mid-2014 said his pursuit of justice over their deaths was always about family.
Key points:
- Flight MH-17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people, including 38 Australians
- An international investigation into the attack has implicated Russian President Vladimir Putin
- The probe has suspended due to a lack of further evidence and cooperation from Russian authorities
Matthew Horder's parents Howard and Susan were on the flight as it travelled from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
Prosecutors and investigators said they had found "strong indications" Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the use of the weaponry that brought down the jet, but the investigation had "reached its limit" and would be suspended.
Prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said the team had "exhausted all avenues of investigation", noting Russia's refusal to cooperate.
Mr Horder said the decision was disappointing after such a long period, but the Sunshine Coast man was prepared for the outcome.
"It's not something we didn't already know," he said.
"These are the people who we clearly blame and have fault with.
"It's disappointing that you can't go any further or progress harder on this matter."
Australia's Assistant Commissioner David McLean has compared the suspension of the investigation to a cold case homicide.
"What we've done today in suspending a long-running investigation is not unique. It's quite routine," he said.
"They will be on our books. There will be someone with information in the community that may come forward at any point in time."
'They loved being grandparents'
Mr Horder said that throughout the eight-and-a-half-year investigation his focus had always been on his parents.
"It's never nice when you see headlines regarding the Russian leaders, because it sort of takes away from what it means to us, which is the loss of our parents," he said.
"They were grandparents to my kids. My kids have missed out on all those years of growing up, having a good grandma and grandpa.
"My parents loved being grandparents. They would have really cherished all of those years themselves.
"It's difficult to put into words what that means, but at the end of the day, for us, it always comes back to our parents."
Mr Horder said while the latest announcement from The Hague gave him little comfort, he said he was satisfied with the separate criminal trial
Russians Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubisnki, along with Ukrainian commander Leonid Karchenko, each received life sentences after being tried in absentia.
Each of the men remained fugitives.
The joint investigation team at the time found it was likely the flight had been mistaken for a Ukrainian military aircraft, and that a Russian BUK missile had been fired deliberately to bring it down.
"Most of what we wanted was to confirm what happened and that the truth would be revealed and we did get that through the criminal trial," Mr Horder said.