Dutch-led investigators conclude Russian Buk destroyed Flight MH17

A Buk missile launcher delivered from Russia and fired by Russian-backed terrorists from Ukrainian territory was responsible for the destruction of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 that killed all 298 passengers on board in July 2014, the Dutch-led joint investigation team of international prosecutors told a press conference held on Sept. 28 in the Netherlands. “Irrefutable evidence” that includes intercepted audio communications between rebel leaders shows that a Buk 9M38 missile was responsible for the downing, said investigators, who said they could identify 100 people who can be linked to MH17’s downing. Satellite data from the U.S. and the European Space Agency identified the launch site, along with testimony from witnesses, said the head of the Dutch national detective force.

As its response, the Russian government dismissed the prosecutors’ findings as biased and politically motivated. “The whole story is unfortunately surrounded by a huge amount of speculation and unqualified, unprofessional information,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press spokesman, according to Western news reports. Russian radar data showed there was no rocket fired from rebel-controlled territory in Donbas, he said. “If there was a rocket, it could only have been fired from elsewhere,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: From the Ukrainian government’s perspective, the main accomplishment is that it likely won’t face criminal charges for the terrorist attack, for which it has been blamed by the Russian government in its various versions of the attack that have shifted. At least four criminal complaints – out of a few dozen – have been filed against Ukraine, yet air traffic control didn’t seem to violate any procedures when allowing the plane to cross its territory, though it was criticized for doing so by the Dutch Safety Board.

The Russians will continue to deny any responsibility as it further isolates itself from the international community. An international criminal trial will likely require the extradition of Russian citizens, who will likely refuse to participate. With the ongoing Donbas war having lost the attention of the Western media, the MH17 trial is the best hope for Ukrainians to redraw attention to Russian military aggression and eventually punish members of the Russian leadership for their crimes against humanity. But the Russian government has demonstrated that not even condemnation from world governments will stop its reckless campaign of military aggression in Ukraine.