Last week, our Kyiv-based colleague Mark Raczkiewycz reported that the international probe known as the Joint Investigative Team (JIT) had determined that a Buk anti-aircraft missile system used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, had come from Russia. After “extensive comparative research,” the JIT said it concluded the Buk came from a Russian military base in Kursk and belonged to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. That finding was announced as the investigation enters its last phase, according to Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke, who cautioned that much work remains to be done and it is not possible to say when the JIT will be ready to name actual suspects. The JIT, it should be noted, comprises authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and the Netherlands, all of which had passengers on that ill-fated flight, and Ukraine, on whose territory the downing occurred. It is led by the Dutch, because the flight originated in Amsterdam and two-thirds of those killed were from the Netherlands.
Moscow was quick to deny that the Buk had ever crossed the border into Ukraine: “The Defense Ministry of Russia from the first hours after the tragedy and in the future officially denied the Ukrainians’ insinuations about the alleged involvement of Russian servicemen in the catastrophe over the skies of Ukraine.”
This week, there was more news on the investigation from Bellingcat, a British team of researchers, which identified a high-ranking Russian military intelligence officer involved in the MH17’s downing. It was yet more proof of Russia’s involvement. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Stef Blok called on Russia to “accept its responsibility and cooperate fully with the process to establish the truth and achieve justice for the victims of flight MH17 and their next of kin.” His words were echoed by the United States, the United Kingdom, NATO, the European Union and others in the West.
Still, Moscow denies its role – no matter the ever-increasing evidence to the contrary. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov said all this was intended to “achieve political goals,” while Russia’s Ambassador to the U.N. Vasily Nebenzya reacted by saying, “The language of ultimatums is not something that anyone will be allowed to use when speaking to Russia.”
Readers will no doubt will recall that it was armed forces controlled by Russia that denied access to investigators in the immediate aftermath of the MH17’s downing. They will also recall Russia’s numerous versions of the shootdown: it was Ukraine’s armed forces, it was Ukraine’s Western supporters, it was a failed attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin (who was then on another flight hundreds of kilometers away), the passengers on the plane had died several days before the crash… The disinformation emanating from the Kremlin was quite creative. And, of course, Russia vetoed resolutions at the U.N. Security Council calling for an independent investigation. Russia continues to be angry that it is not part of the JIT, arguing that the Dutch-led investigation is not legitimate because it was not included as a partner. But, really, why should Russia have been party to the JIT? The better for the Kremlin to subvert the investigation from the inside?
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Blok called it “very disappointing” that Russia won’t acknowledge the “irrefutable evidence” and added, “So far, Russian authorities don’t show the slightest interest in achieving truth, justice and accountability.” Meanwhile President Petro Poroshenko emphasized that Ukraine would do everything possible for Russia’s actions to be properly assessed at the International Court of Justice within the framework of proceedings initiated last year by Ukraine. “Evil will be punished, and justice will be restored,” the president stated.