NETHERLANDS: An international team of investigators reported Wednesday "strong indications" that Russian President Vladimir Putin had given the go-ahead for the delivery of heavy anti-aircraft weapons to Ukrainian separatists who tried to bring down Malaysia Airlines in 2014. A Russian missile was used. Flight 17 in his country.
The Joint Investigation Team, which had been probing the shooting down of the Boeing 777 carrying 812 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur for 298 years, announced that they did not have enough evidence to press charges against Putin or any other suspects. As a result, he suspended his investigation.
Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the downing of the flight in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and has refused to cooperate with the international investigation.
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According to Dutch prosecutors, "there are strong indications that the Russian president has decided to supply separatists in Ukraine with the Buk missile system, which is believed to be the weapon that brought down flight MH17.
The Dutch prosecutor, Digna van Boetzelaer, said that while there are "strong indications", "the high level of complete and conclusive evidence has not been reached." He added that without Russian cooperation, "the investigation has now reached its limits." All possible leads have been exhausted.
He added that Putin would not be subject to prosecution in the Netherlands because of his position as head of state. According to the team that played the recording of an intercepted phone call, Putin was heard discussing the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Are we dissatisfied? No, we believe that in 2014 we made progress that exceeded our expectations. Would it be nice to travel further? Of course, yes," replied Dutch police officer Andy Krag.
Before making their findings public, the team briefed the loved ones of those killed in the downing of MH17 on their findings. According to Cragg, they were disappointed because they wanted to know the reason for the downing of MH17. "We're really clear about what happened, but Russia still has questions about why MH17 was shot down."
According to Van Boetzelaer, phone lines will remain open for potential witnesses who still wish to testify while the investigation is put on hold. In such a situation, the investigation can start again. According to Russian officials, it was Putin's decision to support the rebels militarily during the summer of 2014.
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The investigative team claimed that the decision on arms supplies was also postponed for a week "because the only one who makes decisions is currently at a summit in France," referring to Putin in a phone conversation. Happened.
According to prosecutors, Putin was in France at the time for D-Day commemorations. The investigative team's announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court found two Russians and a Ukrainian insurgent guilty of bringing down the plane. The judge acquitted a Russian of all charges.
The three men who were convicted of multiple murders did not appear for trial, and it is unknown when they will serve their sentences.
The conviction and the court's conclusion that a Russian military base had manufactured the Buk surface-to-air missile were seen as irrefutable evidence that Moscow was involved in the tragedy.
Russia has consistently denied involvement. In November, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court of bowing to political, legal and media pressure from the Netherlands.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, a separatist region in eastern Ukraine where the missile was launched, was under overall Russian control in 2014, according to the November sentence. The Russian Army's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in Kursk, provided the Buk missile system.
Experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine make up the joint investigation team. Most of the victims were Dutch. The investigation into the crew members of the missile system and the persons who gave the go-ahead for its use in Ukraine was not closed.
The Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17, in addition to the criminal trial being held in the Netherlands.
The information made public on Wednesday is likely to support the case before the human rights court and could also be used by ICT prosecutors probing possible war crimes since the start of the separatist conflict in Ukraine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to continue seeking justice for the 38 Australian residents and citizens aboard MH17 and called Putin "reprehensible".
MH17 was shot down in a terrorist attack that affected not only Australia but many other countries as well. And we will continue to pursue these issues through all available means," Albanese said in Canberra, Australia.
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"This is a man who runs a totalitarian regime, who doesn't care about the destruction of communities, whether it's in Ukraine, whether it's persecution of his own citizens, or whether it's actions outside of Russia, of which we ' We've seen a number," Albanese continued.