Putin 'supplied' missile that shot down MH17 flight over Ukraine in 2014, investigators say
8 February 2023, 13:56
Vladimir Putin signed off on the supply of a missile that was used to shoot down the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, investigators have said.
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There are "strong indications" Mr Putin made the decision himself, but there is not enough evidence for a prosecution, they said.
All 298 passengers and cabin crew died as the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight crashed over Ukraine.
It comes three months after two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel were convicted for shooting down the plane and killing everyone onboard. It is unclear is they will serve their sentences.
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Investigators found that the surface-to-air Buk missile that blew the flight out of the sky came from a Russian military base, which they said indicates Russian involvement.
Russia denies its involvement in the crash, and accused the court in November of acting on the pressure of Dutch politicians.
The convictions in November found that Moscow was in control of Donetsk People's Republic in 2014 - the separatist area of eastern Ukraine the missile was launched from.
It came from the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in the city of Kursk.
"The indications for close ties between the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic and Russian government officials raises questions about their involvement in the deployment" of the missile, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service said.
It also cited intercepted phone calls between leaders of the breakaway region and "high-ranking Russian government officials held in the summer of 2014".
