UKRAINE-CRISIS/MH17-MOSCOW-MORNING Pro-Putin youth activists bring flowers to Dutch embassy on MH17 anniversary

Record ID: 146786

  • Title: UKRAINE-CRISIS/MH17-MOSCOW-MORNING Pro-Putin youth activists bring flowers to Dutch embassy on MH17 anniversary
  • Date: 17th July 2015
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JULY 17, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF DUTCH EMBASSY IN MOSCOW DUTCH EMBASSY SEAL ON WALL DUTCH FLAG FLYING AT HALF-MAST EXTERIOR OF EMBASSY VARIOUS OF SOLITARY BUNCH OF FLOWERS AT EMBASSY IN MORNING RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER ABOUT FLIGHT MH17 WITH HANDWRITTEN NOTE ATTACHED TO IT READING IN RUSSIAN "FORGIVE US" DUTCH FLAG FLYING AT HALF-MAST VARIOUS OF PROCESSION OF
  • Embargoed: 1st August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAA8LR99AJJELHS80M4HRPRB24O
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Pro-Putin youth activists laid flowers outside the Dutch embassy in Moscow on Friday (July 17) marking the first anniversary of the downing of the MH17 flight over eastern Ukraine, as calls grew for an international tribunal to prosecute those who brought it down.
    Members of the youth movement group in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin placed flowers and candles at a window of the embassy, saying they wanted to honour the 298 victims of the airliner disaster.
    "Like, out of human feelings. Like, to lay down, like, to lay down our condolences to the families of the killed, like, everything that we can do in this situation. Like, a year has passed, it is a short period of time, but the families are still mourning. Like, solely out of human feelings, like, nothing more," said Moscow student Anastasia.
    Another young student, Boris, said he had only found out about the anniversary from friends on social media.
    "My friends have informed me on social media that today is exactly one year from the moment when a plane crashed in Ukraine. A plane crashed, a Boeing 747, sorry 777. Well, I came here to pay respects to those killed and to lay flowers at the embassy of the Netherlands," said Boris.
    A photograph of one of the victims of the MH17 crash was placed alongside the flowers.
    "This is Elsemiek de Borst, one of the girls that was on board of the Flight MH17. Why I chose her is not very important. She is one of the children to fall victim of the war that is happening in a neighbouring country. She is one of the children killed without a reason," said Yuri, a student who had brought the photo along.
    Western governments believe that pro-Russian rebels shot the plane out of the sky with a Russian-supplied BUK missile. Britain and Ukraine marked the anniversary with new appeals for a tribunal to prosecute suspects.
    Russia's Putin dismissed those calls as premature and counter-productive on Thursday (July 16) in a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and criticised "politicised" versions of the incident "planted" in foreign media.
    Russian officials and state media say Ukrainian forces shot down the plane, a version which many Russians say they believe.
    "I think it was the Ukrainians who shot it down. 100 percent. It just can't be any other way," said Vladimir, a labourer in Moscow.
    "I think that of course it was not Russians who did it. It was shot down by those people from Maidan, I would say so. It is those people. There is plenty of evidence," said Natalia, a pensioner in Moscow.
    Marina, a journalist working for Russian media, said she couldn't tell what the truth was.
    "I think nobody will tell us the truth anyway. That's why I can't give any opinions because I don't think that any information given to us is true."
    The differences over what happened are part of a standoff between Russia and the West over Moscow's role in the conflict in east Ukraine, in which more than 6,500 people have been killed since the separatist uprising began in April 2014.
    Moscow denies giving the rebels arms and soldiers. If a report from the Dutch Safety Board, due in October, concludes that rebels shot the plane down with a Russian-made missile, it would undermine Russia's denials and could pave the way to court cases and prosecutions.
    Malaysia, Australia, the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium and Ukraine have now called for an international tribunal to bring to justice those behind the downing of the airliner.
    Rutte has said a United Nations-backed tribunal was his "preferred option" but Western diplomats say they are open to the prospect of a tribunal that is not backed by the U.N. if Russia wields its Security Council veto.
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