Final Dutch MH17 report finds Buk SAM responsible

[BLACKEAGLE]

Final Dutch MH17 report finds Buk SAM responsible
Nicholas de Larrinaga, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
13 October 2015

The reconstructed cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 is seen prior to the presentation of the Dutch Safety Board final report on 13 October. Source: PA Photos
Key Points

• The official report into the MH17 tragedy has found a Russian-made Buk missile responsible
• The shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 killed all 298 on board

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a Buk surface to air missile (SAM) system, the independent Dutch Safety Board's (DSB) final report into the crash has found.

"Flight MH17 crashed as a result of the detonation of a warhead outside the airplane above the left hand side of the cockpit," Tjibbe Joustra, chairman of the DSB stated as he presented the summary of the report's findings on 13 October.

The executive summary of the report states that, "A 9N314M warhead, launched by a Buk surface-to-air missile system from a 320 km² area in the eastern part of Ukraine, detonated to the left and above the cockpit. The forward section of the aircraft was penetrated by hundreds of high-energy objects coming from the warhead. As a result of the impact and the subsequent blast, the three crew members in the cockpit were killed immediately and the aeroplane broke up in the air. Wreckage from the aeroplane was distributed over various sites within an area of 50 km². All 298 occupants were killed."

Joustra was keen to add that the report also excluded any other cause for the crash. "Excluding scenarios is a proven message of investigation," he said. "MH17 did not crash as a result of meteor strikes, any technical defects, as a result of a bomb inside the aircraft, or from an air-to-air missile, as the damage pattern would have been different and the radar images would have shown other aircraft in the vicinity."

Russian missile maker Almaz-Antey claimed in a 2 June presentation (pictured) that a 9M38M1 SAM brought down MH17. However, on 13 October the company backtracked on this and tried to claim the older 9M38 missile responsible in an attempt to divert blame. (PA Photos)

The 9N314M warhead is used on the 9M38M1 missile from the Buk SAM. Key to the identification of the specific warhead are the shapes of the pre-formed fragments contained within it; those the report found were both cubic and of an hourglass or bowtie shape.
Final Dutch MH17 report finds Buk SAM responsible - IHS Jane's 360

 

[Diane Lane]

From what I've seen, it's still a situation of he said/he said, with Russia denying it was their missile, and claiming it was a missile fired by Ukrainians, and them stating that it was fired by the Russians. Here's an update, with more denial and obsuscation. Flight MH17: Russia and its changing story - BBC News

 

[Corzhens]

Correct me if I'm lost on this. That MH17 plane was flying in the airspace of Ukraine so it was shot by a Russian SAM, crashed and killed all the passengers. As a layman sitting on the fence, where do you think is the fault in that incident? Assuming that the MH17 had entered sacred airspace, is that reason enough to shoot it down? Besides, it is a passenger plane and not a war jet.

 

[Khafee]

The Netherlands demands that Malaysia clarify its position regarding Russia’s responsibility of MH17 air disaster

Sunday, June 2, 2019 5:00:31 PM




The Dutch government demanded that Malaysia clarify the latest statements made by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad questioning Russia's responsibility the MH17 air disaster, as reported by the Dutch news outlet NOS.

The Dutch government made an appeal to Malaysia, demanding that it clarify the latest statements issued by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. This week in the Malaysian media, he questioned Russia's responsibility for the MH17 catastrophe, NOS reports.

Previously, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad demanded more solid evidence against Russia in the case of the MH17 crash. The prime minister said that Malaysia agrees with the investigative report released in the Netherlands, but only to the extent that the plane was shot down by a missile made in Russia. “This does not mean that Russia launched the missile.”

“You need strong evidence that the Russians launched the missile. It could have been the Ukrainian military volunteers or the Ukrainian government since they had the same missiles,” Mohamad said.

The Netherlands filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation in an international court after Moscow refused to negotiate compensation for the families of the victims.

The Netherlands demands that Malaysia clarify its position regarding Russia’s responsibility of MH17 air disaster

The Dutch government demanded that Malaysia clarify the latest statements made by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad questioning Russia's responsibility the MH17 air disaster, as reported by the Dutch news outlet NOS. The Dutch government made an appeal to Malaysia, demanding that it clarify the...

uawire.org

 

[Khafee]

Three Russians, one Ukrainian accused of 2014 downing of flight MH17
Toby Sterling, Anthony Deutsch
June 19, 2019 / Updated 8 minutes ago

View attachment 8220

NIEUWEGEIN, Netherlands (Reuters) - Three Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed, in a trial to start in the Netherlands next March, an investigation team said on Wednesday.

The suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, however, as the Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation and is not expected to hand anyone over.

The Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane’s destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. It said international arrest warrants for the four have been issued.

MH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17, 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Everyone on board was killed.

Most of those on board were Dutch. The joint investigation team formed by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine found that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile.

Last year Russian President Vladimir Putin called MH17’s downing a “terrible tragedy” but said that Moscow was not to blame and that there are other explanations for what happened.

The governments of the Netherlands and Australia have said they hold Russia legally responsible.

Asked if she expected the suspects to attend the trial, Silene Fredriksz, whose son Bryce was on the plane with his girlfriend Daisy, said: “No. No, I don’t think so. But I don’t care. I just want the truth, and this is the truth.”

Moscow has said it does not trust the investigation.
“Russia was unable to take part in the investigation despite expressing an interest right from the start and trying to join it”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

The investigation team said Girkin was a former FSB colonel who served as minister of defense of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) in the summer of 2014.

It said Dubinsky was head of the military intelligence agency of DNR, while Pulatov was head of a second department of the DNR military intelligence agency. Ukrainian national Kharchenko was head of a reconnaissance battalion for the second department, it said.

The team said it would ask the Russian government to allow it to question the suspects who are currently in Russia. It said Kharchenko was thought to be in Ukraine at the moment.

Prosecutors have previously said the missile system that brought down the plane came from the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade, based in the western Russian city of Kursk.

Reporting by Toby Sterling, Anthony Deutsch and Bart Meijer; Additional reporting by Anastasia Teterevleva; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Hugh Lawson

Russians, Ukrainian to face murder charges over downing of Flight MH17

Three Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the deaths of 298 people aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 that was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, the international investigative team said on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Khafee]

Russia’s leaders could face charges in MH17 murder case

Thursday, June 20, 2019




Charges could be brought against high-ranking Russian officials and military officers in the MH17 murder case, said Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, as cited by Interfax-Ukraine.

“We will start with the soldiers and end with the generals and politicians,” he remarked.

Lutsenko noted that, at a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) press conference in the Netherlands, relatives of the victims had asked whether it would be possible to press charges against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lutsenko’s Dutch colleague reportedly said that this possibility “cannot be ruled out”.

Lutsenko was unable to specify the precise number of possible suspects, but noted that Ukraine and the Netherlands are currently working to identify the direct perpetrators of the crime.

On 19 June, the JIT announced the first names of the persons accused of complicity in the downing of the Boeing over the Donbas. The suspects include Igor “Strelkov” Girkin, former defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR); Sergey Dubinsky, former head of DPR’s intelligence branch, and his subordinate Oleg Pulatov, all three of them Russian citizens. In addition, charges will be brought against Pulatov’s subordinate, the Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.

The Security Service of Ukraine began an investigation into the mentioned persons one day before the JIT’s official conclusions were announced. Dutch journalists and the Bellingcat group have also published their own lists of suspects.

In July 2014, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Ukraine’s Donetsk province. All 298 people on board were killed. The Joint Investigation Team that was formed to investigate the catastrophe includes representatives of Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. The trial has been scheduled for 2020.

Russia’s leaders could face charges in MH17 murder case

Charges could be brought against high-ranking Russian officials and military officers in the MH17 murder case, said Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, as cited by Interfax-Ukraine. “We will start with the soldiers and end with the generals and politicians,” he remarked. Lutsenko noted...

uawire.org

 

[Khafee]

Kyiv promises to arrest Ukrainian MH17 catastrophe suspect

Thursday, June 20, 2019


Ukraine intends to arrest Leonid Kharchenko, the Ukrainian citizen who is suspected of complicity in the downing of flight MH17, said Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, as cited by Interfax.

According to Lutsenko, Ukraine will do everything in its power to arrest this person. If it manages to do so, the Ukrainian government will organize a court session in the Netherlands, and will uphold the court’s decision on the case in accordance with the international agreement between Ukraine and the Netherlands, he clarified.

The MH17 catastrophe took place in July 2014. A Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The international Joint Investigation Team (JIT) concluded that the Buk surface-to-air missile which hit the plane had been fired by the militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Russia has denied any involvement in the catastrophe.

The JIT has identified four chief suspects in the MH17 crash: the Russian citizens Igor “Strelkov” Girkin, Sergey Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov and the Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko. International arrest warrants have been issued for them, and they have been placed on the relevant wanted persons lists. The investigation has also asked Moscow and Kyiv to question the suspects.

JIT chief Fred Westerbeke said that a court hearing on the case will be held in the Hague on 9 March 2020.

Kyiv promises to arrest Ukrainian MH17 catastrophe suspect

Ukraine intends to arrest Leonid Kharchenko, the Ukrainian citizen who is suspected of complicity in the downing of flight MH17, said Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, as cited by Interfax. According to Lutsenko, Ukraine will do everything in its power to arrest this person. If it...

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