Jan HENNO, AFP

The Netherlands said on Friday it would take Russia to the European Court of Human Rights for its role in bringing down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, killing nearly 300 people.

Rutte however denied the timing of the move was designed to pressurise Russia, saying "we simply decided it now was the best moment to get involved and to give the next-of-kin the maximum support."

"This is not aimed at Russia and stands entirely separate from the criminal case," Rutte said at his weekly post-cabinet news conference.

Prosecutors have charged four people -- Russians Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko -- with murder.

They said the men were responsible for bringing a BUK surface-to-air missile into an area in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Moscow rebels, from where it was fired at the passenger jet.

Russia has denied involvement and has before proposed alternative theories including that MH17 may have been downed by a Ukrainian fighter plane or a Ukrainian BUK missile.

Moscow meanwhile responded to the relatives' claims before the ECHR earlier this year in which it again denied responsibility for the disaster, saying there was no proof of its involvement.

A package of controversial constitutional reforms approved by Russian voters earlier this month, which allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend his rule until 2036, also included an amendment that could affect its ties to the European rights court.

The amendment says that Russia's constitution takes precedence over any international rulings. If there is a contradiction, they will not be applied.

Russia could use this to justify ending its obligation to carry out rulings by international courts such as the ECHR, which is currently the last resort for many Russians.