According to international investigators, Russian President Vladimir Putin played an active role in the downing of the passenger plane MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. This is apparent from tapped telephone conversations, the investigation team announced in The Hague on Wednesday.
The international investigative team investigating the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) missile in 2014 appears to have found compelling evidence that the Russian president personally signed a decree allowing the Russian missile system to enter Ukraine, the Dutch government said. prosecutor on Wednesday.
There are “strong indications” that the decision came from Putin himself, it said. However, according to the detectives, there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a prosecution.
Putin cannot be prosecuted
Despite the lack of evidence, Putin enjoys immunity from office and cannot be prosecuted, investigators said. The evidence against other suspects was also insufficient. The investigation would therefore be temporarily suspended. “We’ve reached our limits,” researchers said.
Surface-to-air missiles used for launch
The downing of Malaysian flight MH17 on July 17, 2014 was a tragedy that killed 298 people. The plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine during a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. International investigations have shown that a surface-to-air missile of the Buk type was used.
The International Law Enforcement Commission and a court in the Netherlands have previously accused Russia of being responsible for the incident. However, to date, many questions about the launch have not been clarified. Russia has until recently denied all allegations that it was partly responsible for the downing.
The first statements have already been made
Charges were brought against three Russians and one Ukrainian, all of whom held leading positions in the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine at the time. Last year, three of them were found guilty in a trial and sentenced to life imprisonment. One man was acquitted. None of the defendants attended the trial. Most of the victims were Dutch, so the trial also took place in the country.
Source: Krone
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