Investigation Team: President Putin Played an Active Role in the Downing of MH17

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Russian President Vladimir Putin played a significant role in supplying weapons to eastern Ukraine, which led to the downing of flight MH17 with a Buk missile in 2014.

The civilian aircraft flew over the conflict zone where pro-Russian separatists battled with the Ukrainian army. MH17 was shot downcast on July 17, 2014.

“In recorded telephone conversations, Russian government officials say that the decision to provide military support rests with the president. The decision is even postponed for a week because there is only one person who makes a decision, the person who is at a summit in France at the time,” said the JIT. At that time, on June 5 and 6, 2014, President Putin is at the commemoration of D-Day in France. However, he cannot be prosecuted because the “gathered evidence is not concrete enough”.

The investigation into those involved in the downing of flight MH17 has now been halted. It has not resulted in any new suspects who can be prosecuted. Piet Ploeg, chairman of the MH17 aviation disaster foundation, reports this based on information from the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

Recently, research has been done into the crew of the missile installation that brought down the plane. This investigation resulted in three officers of the 53rd brigade of the Russian army. “Other sources do not confirm their involvement in the downing of MH17. That is why the JIT does not reveal their names. Furthermore, the Russian authorities are not answering questions about the crew, as they believe there was no Russian Buk TELAR present in eastern Ukraine,” the investigation team said.

Furthermore, it is impossible to determine why the missile was fired and who pressed the button. The evidence there is “not concrete enough to lead to convictions in court”, according to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service. “That is why no new lawsuits are being initiated at this time,” it sounds. The relatives of the disaster reacted disappointed in this decision.