Malaysian airliner MH17 crashed in Ukraine

[Natalka]

MH17 disaster remembered by Canberra's Ukrainian community


Speaking at the memorial service, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Mykola Kulinich said it was important to honour the victims of the flight.
"The service is very important because this was one of the most barbaric acts I've remembered in my life, and innocent people were shot down over our territory," he said.

"It is a constant source of sorrow. We can't take away the fact we've lost people, but we'll do everything we can to have justice."

During the service, a candle was lit for each of the victims of the doomed flight, with a cross formed with candles representing the Australians onboard.



Sunflowers were also prominent throughout the memorial, which became a symbol in the aftermath of MH17, with the plane coming down among a field of the flowers.

Father Michael Solomko, who led the commemoration, said while no Ukrainians were lost in the disaster, the entire community has been affected.
"This is a tragedy that did not need to happen," he said.
"The church is no place for political statements. We are here to honour the victims."
As well as Ukraine's ambassador, ambassadors to the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia and Hungary also attended the commemorations.



http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-...22-gxgknq.html

[Natalka]

MH17 relatives entitled to millions in damages: U.S. court

A group of MH17 victims' relatives won a lawsuit in a United States court which entitles them to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, television program Zembla reports based on court documents. A total of 25 surviving relatives, including 10 Dutch, took part in this lawsuit filed against Igor Girkin, a leader among pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. The American court ruled that each surviving relative in the lawsuit is entitled to 20 million dollars in compensation.

"It was never about the amount of money", Floyd Wisner, the American lawyer who represented the family members in this lawsuit, said to Zembla. "The large amount of money was really only to make an impression, bring this to the world stage. That's the important thing. The aim was never really just to collect this kind of money from [Girkin], it's to try to get justice for these families. To shed some light on this terrible tragedy they've gone through. And to get the world to focus on it, to hold the people responsible like Mr. Girkin."

https://nltimes.nl/2018/01/30/mh17-r...mages-us-court

[Natalka]

Legislation Clears Way for MH17 Trials in the Netherlands


THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 21, 2018, 9:31 AM CST

The Hague, Netherlands (AP) -- The Dutch government has sent legislation to Parliament that clears the way for prosecution in the Netherlands of any suspects identified in the long-running investigation into the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine.

The justice ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the legislation will make it possible for foreign suspects to be tried in a Dutch court in The Hague, including by video links if they aren't extradited.

An international criminal probe concluded in 2016 that a missile which destroyed the Malaysian passenger jet and killed all 298 people aboard was fired from rebel-controlled territory in Ukraine by a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there.

Investigations are continuing into the identities of those responsible. No indictments have yet been issued.

[Natalka]

Flight MH17 brought down in Ukraine by Russian missile, investigators say


An international team of investigators said Thursday that detailed analysis of video images and photos has unequivocally established that the Buk missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine nearly four years ago came from a Russia-based military unit, the clearest link yet published by the team to the involvement of Russian military in the deadly missile strike.


Fred Westerbeke, chief prosecutor of the Dutch Prosecutor's office, presents interim results in the ongoing investigation. Suspects were not publicly identified, but investigators said a list of persons of interest has been reduced over the past two years.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response. The international team running the criminal investigation appealed for help from witnesses who can testify about the involvement of the Russian military's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk.
Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.
Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the Joint Investigation Team, or JIT, is not yet ready to name suspects, but added: "I can say that we are now entering the ... last phase of the investigation. When we will be ready, it' is not possible to say at the moment because there is still a lot of work to do."

Prosecutors said in 2016 that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile fired from territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there. Thursday's presentation went a step further by identifying the exact unit allegedly involved and more details of the rocket involved.

Investigators now say that their careful analysis of video and photos from social media and analysis of parts of the rocket found at the crash scene traced its journey into Ukraine and had given them a "fingerprint" identifying the rocket and where it came from.
"All findings from this forensic investigation confirm the earlier conclusion of the JIT that Flight MH 17 was shot down by 9M38 series missile," said Jennifer Hurst of the Australian Federal Police.
Ultimately, any suspects identified and charged will be prosecuted in Dutch courts — if they can be arrested and brought to trial.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/netherl...ssia-1.4675756

[Natalka]

The Netherlands is considering referring Russia to an international court after reaching an impasse with the Kremlin over responsibility for shooting down a civilian airliner over Ukraine in 2014.

Stef Blok, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, said that Russia had rebuffed all efforts to start negotiations on a possible settlement or compensation for the victims of the 2014 attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and that the government was considering “potential next steps."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/world/europe/russia-mh17-netherlands-victims.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[Natalka]

Investigators in MH17 downing charge 4 suspects with ties to Russian intelligence and pro-Moscow militias

MOSCOW — The Dutch-led investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014 named its first suspects on Wednesday — among them three Russian nationals close to Russian intelligence services.


Investigators have long suspected a missile from Ukraine’s battle zones was responsible for bringing down the jetliner, killing all 298 passengers and crew on the flight from Amsterdam to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.


But the charges against the four suspects brings a tighter focus on the alleged decision-making and Russian involvement in the July 2014 disaster.

“Their acts on and around July 2014 have led to the shooting of Flight MH17. Even though they have not pushed the button themselves, there is suspicion that they have closely cooperated” in obtaining and positioning the missile launcher that shot down the jet, Dutch chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke told reporters at The Hague.


The suspects included Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, a former colonel in Russia’s domestic intelligence service, FSB, who was a leader of Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine at the time the Boeing 777 was downed.


Two other suspects have links to Russia’s military intelligence unit, known as the GRU, which has taken a higher profile in suspected Russian operations in recent years.

One suspect, Sergey Dubinskiy, was an employee of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency. Another, Oleg Pulatov, was a former GRU Special Forces soldier, prosecutors said.

The fourth suspect, Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, was described as having no military background but having led a separatist combat unit in eastern Ukraine.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.ca15db16ce9e