People across the world are gathering in emotional services that mark the first anniversary of the Malaysia Airline Flight MH17 crash that killed 298 people.

Residents at the Ukrainian village close to where the MH17 plane was shot down on 17 July 2014 held a service followed by a religious procession towards the crash site, the BBC has reported.

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A Russian Orthodox priest, who said prayers during the service, said the memory of those who died will remain in the hearts of the people.

A memorial was also held in Australia for the 38 Australian nationals who perished in the crash.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot said the passing of the MH17 passengers has left a void that will never be filled. Australia joined the calls for an international tribunal to persecute the suspects.

In the Netherlands, ceremonies were being held in the hometowns of those who died in the crash. Most of the passengers of the ill-fated plane were from the Netherlands.

"Until today, it remains painful to think that our loved ones are already gone," said one Dutch who lost a family member in the crash.

Pro-Russian rebels were believed tho have shot the plane out of the sky using a BUK missile supplied by Russia. The Russian government had earlier denied reports that it supplied weapons to rebels and soldiers near the border with Ukraine.

Both Ukraine and Britain have appealed for a tribunal to prosecute those who are behind the attack.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin described the call as premature and accused the foreign media of politicizing versions of the incident.

In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko blamed terrorists as behind the crash and reiterated his call for in an international investigation into the incident.

A year after the tragedy, CNN showed a video of what appears to be fighters ransacking through the belongings of the victims following the crash.

The video showed Russian-speaking fighters checking the belongings of the victims immediately after the crash, shooing off civilians who came near.

TagsMalaysia Airlines Flight 17, MH17