The Dutch court hearing the trial of four suspects in taking down the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014 ruled on Thursday, Nov. 17, that the accused utilized a Russian-made missile.
Reportedly, it was launched from a farm field near Pervomaisk in eastern Ukraine to destroy the aircraft.
The decision was announced in a high-security court close to Schiphol Airport, where the doomed flight departed eight years ago.
MH17 Crash
As per the article published by The Straits Times, the court believes a BUK missile was fired, bringing down MH17 and killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members, as stated by Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis.
It was found out that Russia was responsible for the attack on the airliner as it controlled the separatist forces in eastern Ukraine at the time.
The passenger airplane was shot down on July 17, 2014. It was a Boeing 777 carrying 298 people to fly Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. 196 Dutch, 43 Malaysians, and 38 Australians were killed.
The tragedy sparked worldwide outcry and sanctions against Moscow. Bodies and debris scattered Ukraine's sunflower fields. Children and several adults were still buckled up.
After eight years, the area where MH17 crashed is now a pivotal front in Russia's nearly nine-month-long war in Ukraine, The Straits Times reported.
The Accused
In a separate report by The Straits Times, the court found three individuals guilty of murder in the 2014 tragedy that claimed 298 lives, while the fourth guy was exonerated.
Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy, both former members of the Russian intelligence service, and Leonid Kharchenko, the commander of a Ukrainian rebel group, were found guilty. The Russian defendant Oleg Pulatov was declared not guilty.
According to the report, the accused have ignored court appearances for the past two and a half years.
Although the men are unlikely to spend time if convicted, prosecutors have requested life sentences for them on accusations of murder and causing an airplane to crash.
The accused reportedly included Kremlin-backed personnel and played crucial roles in transporting the BUK missile from a Russian military facility to the launch location, even though they were not responsible for actually firing the missile.
Scenarios
Prosecutors claim that Girkin, 51, the self-proclaimed defense minister of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic, spoke with Russian officials about purchasing the missile system. He has said that rebels were not responsible for the MH17 crash.
Reports indicate that Girkin has lately criticized the Russian military for its conduct during this year's invasion and has offered his services to the Ukrainian government.
Dubinskiy, 60, has reportedly worked as the separatists' military intelligence head and issued instructions about the rocket, and he has apparently been linked to Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors allege that Pulatov, 56, an ex-member of the Russian special forces, and Kharchenko, 50, the suspected leader of a separatist outfit, were lower-level employees with more hands-on involvement in delivering the missile.
According to testimony presented in court, the BUK missile originated from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in Kursk, Russia.
However, Moscow has refuted any participation.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has stoked concerns of a larger world conflict, is taking place while this judgment is being handed out.
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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada
