KUALA LUMPUR: Captain Vladyslav Voloshyn, accused by Russia of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, has killed himself, according to Ukrainian media.
Citing Ukrainian police, Voloshyn was said to have shot himself and his death has been described as suicide.
Police found military service pistol at the scene. It is currently being investigated.
Voloshyn is described as a war hero in Ukraine and had flown 33 combat missions in Su-25 ground attack jet against Russian-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, according to BBC News.
Russian officials however have alleged that Voloshyn had shot down MH17, while independent experts reject that claim.
According to them the evidence pointed to a Buk missile system fired by pro-Russian rebels.
Voloshyn’s family members, who were in the flat when he committed suicide, told Ukrainian media that Voloshyn had been suffering from depression.
On July 7 2014, Malaysia Airline flight MH17 with 298 passenger and crew on board was shot down over the air space of conflict stricken eastern Ukraine, believed to be by pro-Russian rebels.
The Dutch based Joint Investigation Team wants to try the suspects in the Netherlands but their efforts have been in futile due to legal difficulties.