UKRAINE-CRISIS/MH17-RUSSIA Russia denies MH17 responsibility, independent newspaper leads own investigation
Record ID:
146901
UKRAINE-CRISIS/MH17-RUSSIA Russia denies MH17 responsibility, independent newspaper leads own investigation
- Title: UKRAINE-CRISIS/MH17-RUSSIA Russia denies MH17 responsibility, independent newspaper leads own investigation
- Date: 16th July 2015
- Summary: VARIOUS OF NOVAYA GAZETA REPORT
- Embargoed: 31st July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAN2ENKD4T857FVGI4YLQIN0JA
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A year after the Malaysian Airlines MH17 jet was shot out of the sky over rebel-held eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers on board, there are still many questions surrounding the tragic event.
Friday (July 17) marks a year since MH17 crashed in Ukrainian territory held by Russian-backed separatists. Commemorations in the Netherlands and Ukraine on Friday will mark a painful milestone for the families, some of whom have had to wait until now for scattered remains to be recovered.
The tragedy marked a turning point in the conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels, in which more than 6,500 people have now been killed.
Western governments believe the rebels shot down the plane at cruising altitude with a Russian-supplied BUK missile system, a version based on radio intercepts, photographic and video evidence, witness statements and satellite imagery.
Russia firmly denies involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, and Moscow and the separatists have suggested the plane was downed with a missile fired from a Ukrainian fighter jet, something Kiev denies.
Dutch authorities have said they are not yet ready to identify culprits, but have called for a U.N. tribunal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (July 16) said that would be "counter productive and premature," putting Moscow directly at odds with the Netherlands, Malaysia, Belgium, Australia and Ukraine, which are part of the criminal inquiry.
A report on the cause of the crash from the Dutch Safety Board, a preliminary copy of which has been circulated to half a dozen government with nationals onboard, is due in October.
Senior Russian aviation official, Oleg Storchevoi, on Thursday (July 16) raised objections against the report.
"All comments on the ongoing investigation, on the final report, I can only give after the official publication of the final report. I can straight away tell you that there is a lot we want to say about this document and a lot to contradict on some of its talking points," said the deputy head of the Russian Aviation Agency.
Storchevoi told reporters that Russia was willing to offer its expertise in furthering the investigation, adding it had "nothing to hide."
"We are ready to conduct all necessary research in the presence of specialists from different countries. In short, we have nothing to hide."
The Russian company that makes the BUK air defense system that was used to shoot down the airliner has also spoken publicly in support of Russia.
State-run Almaz-Antey has said the plane was hit by a missile that is not widely used by Russia's military.
Almaz-Antey's chief executive, Yan Novikov, told a news conference recently that the company's own analysis of the wreckage indicated it was hit by a BUK 9M38M1 surface-to-air missile armed with a 9H314M warhead.
Such missiles have not been produced in Russia since 1999 and the last ones were delivered to foreign customers, it said, adding that the Russian armed forces now mainly use a 9M317M warhead with the BUK system.
Novikov said neither the company nor its enterprises could have supplied the rockets "in the 21st century."
"We cannot say what country the missile belonged to, for the sake of precision. Technically we have proven what type of missile it was. We have documents that prove that Ukraine has this missile in its arsenal," Novikov, told the news conference run by the Kremlin press service at which the company used 3D visuals and computer animation.
According to Novikov, Ukraine's armed forces had still had nearly 1,000 such missiles in its arsenal in 2005, when it held talks with Almaz-Antey on prolonging their lifespan.
Almaz-Antey has come under European Union sanctions. The EU believes the firm produced anti-aircraft weaponry which the Russian authorities have supplied to pro-Russian separatists fighting Kiev's forces in east Ukraine.
Moscow is trying to deflect blame for the shooting down of the airliner and denies sending arms and soldiers to support the rebels, though the West and Kiev say they have overwhelming proof of the latter.
Pro-Russian separatists similarly argue that flight MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet.
The former leader of the region's pro-Russian separatists recently told Reuters his fighters did not have a BUK missile system in their possession.
"Apart from the fact that the Boeing crashed, I do not know anything. We did not have any weapon that would enable us to shoot it down. In other words we did not have a BUK missile system," said Alexander Borodai, who has retained influence among rebel commanders since quitting as prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) last August.
Australia is calling on the United Nations Security Council to support the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute those suspected of downing MH17.
Malaysia, part of the 15-member council until 2016, distributed a draft resolution on the tribunal last week, which it hoped could be adopted later this month. It is a joint proposal with Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Ukraine.
However, the move has been dismissed by Russia, which is a veto-wielding permanent member on the 15-member council, along with France, Britain, China and the United States. Russia has the option of blocking the proposal if it is put to a vote.
Chairman of Russian parliament's international relations committee, Alexei Pushkov argued that a tribunal would be unprecedented.
"My personal opinion is that here we must follow suit - if a tribunal of this kind is created, then it must also look into who is also guilty for when an Iranian Boeing was struck, over the Persian Gulf , during U.S. drills in the Persian Gulf," said Pushkov, referring to an incident in 1988, when the U.S. Navy shot down an Iran Air civilian plane, killing all 290 passengers onboard.
"This is a well known story, there also some 300 people were killed, Iranians. So why didn't anybody call for a tribunal then?"
But despite Russia's strong denials of links to MH17, one independent Russian newspaper is conducting its own investigation in search of the truth.
Novaya Gazeta deputy editor, Sergei Sokolov, says most Russian media is invested in a propaganda war.
"A large enough, if not overwhelming, collection of Russian media is currently engaged in a propaganda war, both on the side of separatists and the Kremlin, this is related to the position of the owners of the newspapers, and sometimes to the position of the country's leadership, because de-facto many mass media are under the control of the government. And this is not in reference to the Boeing investigation alone, but a lot of other investigations also," Sokolov told Reuters TV.
Novaya Gazeta, which is often critical of President Vladimir Putin, says a report by Russian military engineers debunks one of the main theories put forward by the Russian government - that the airliner was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet.
However, Sokolov added, the newspaper could not draw a conclusive decision on who is responsible for firing the missile.
"We do not know who was the crew of the missile system, we have different versions according to one source, but we have decided that it is inappropriate to publish this yet, we are continuing to investigate this issue. Secondly, another thing that we do not yet know to the end is how this rocket was delivered to the BUK missile system BUK."
The deaths of nearly 200 Dutch nationals on the plane have struck deep in the psyche of the nation of 17 million people. Opinion polls suggest a majority of the population holds Russia responsible.
But in the Russian capital, Muscovites maintain their support of the government, voicing confidence that "Russia is not guilty."
"If it was hit over Ukrainian territory and there is evidence that Ukraine was creating some movements to use this, then I think at the end of the day Ukraine is guilty," said Alexey, as he was strolling through the centre of Moscow.
"They showed it on television, I wasn't there, so I can't say exactly, but they said that it wasn't our rocket and since Russia really wants to investigate this matter, I think that Russia is not guilty," said Roman, who works at a bank.
Russian teacher, Victoria, said she would defend President Putin, regardless of the situation.
"I was born and brought up in Russia, and I do not think that Russia is guilty. In any case I will defend my country. My country and my president, naturally. I live here, I cannot be skeptical of the country where I live. Otherwise I would move to Ukraine."
While Sergei Galtsov, a young man who has recently graduated from university, said he did not know what the truth of the situation in Ukraine was, blaming different stories being reported in international media to those on Russian television.
"Their (Ukraine's) television shows one thing, ours shows something else and in Europe and the U.S. they show a completely third story. And it is impossible to understand where truth lies generally, to us the younger generation it is very scary to see it, because as I am a boy I would have to join the military as complete mobilization can happen. For girls it would be difficult also. So we live at such a time that anything is possible," said Galtsov.
On Friday morning paper planes with names of those killed will be taken to the Dutch embassy in Moscow, an initiative of civil activists but not supported by the government bodies. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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