Russian Foreign Ministry calls Netherlands ambassador because of MH17 investigation that accused Putin

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has called the Dutch ambassador because of an investigation that assumed it was Russian President Vladimir Putin who ordered the Buk anti-aircraft missile system to be supplied to the "DPR" militants ["DPR" is a self-proclaimed and non-recognised "Donetsk People's Republic" in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine]. 

Source: statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, cited by European Pravda

Quote from the statement: "We have demanded to stop compulsive attempts of the Dutch government to unreasonably hold the Russian Federation accountable for the MH17 plane crash over Donbas on 17 July 2014."

Details: The Ministry has claimed that the work of the MH17 Joint Investigation Team (JIT), led by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Netherlands, has politicised nature. 

"The JIT's statement on stopping the investigation is another proof of them running out of reasons to confirm their one-sided accusation position. It is noted that the Russian side does not recognise the investigation results where it did not take full part in and from which it was suspended since the very beginning," the Foreign Ministry declared.

In addition, Russia has complained to the ambassador to the Dutch government about allegedly preventing the Russian embassy from performing its direct functions, including the work with civil and historical organisations, as well as political science platforms where key topics of international agenda, including those concerning Russia, are discussed. 

Besides, the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that "the Hague’s stance in terms of visa policy is destructive". 

Background: The JIT has concluded that there are strong indications to believe that the decision to supply the Buk anti-aircraft missile system to militants of the "Donetsk People's Republic" was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Hague District Court sentenced Ihor Girkin, Sergey Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko to life imprisonment in absentia on 17 November 2022 because of their role in shooting down the Malaysian MH17 plane over Donbas and instructed the relevant bodies to see to it that they are arrested. The Court decided that those men had to pay the relatives of the killed more than €16 million of compensation. 

However, the fourth defendant, Oleg Pulatov, was not found guilty even though he was Girkin’s deputy at the time and sent instructions to other men about evacuating the Buk system. 

The Hague Court also concluded that Russia was controlling the "DPR" when the MH17 plane was shot down. 

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