Trial over downing of flight MH17 begins without suspects
A trial against the four individuals charged with the murder of 298 people and the downing of flight MH17 will begin in the Netherlands today.
Last year, arrest warrants were issued for three Russians and a Ukrainian identified by a Dutch-led joint investigation team.
Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, had senior positions in the pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Investigators said they had not pulled the trigger but had colluded to carry out the attack.
They will be absent during the trial as they are believed to be in Russia, which will not extradite them, according to Reuters reports.
If they do not appear, or fail to send lawyers, the judges could rule that the trial be held in absentia.
The British government has welcomed the trial and has donated £100,000 to help establish the Dutch court.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “This trial is an important milestone towards accountability for the shooting down of MH17 and the tragic deaths of the 298 people on board – including 10 British people – nearly six years ago.”
“The Russian state must now cooperate fully with this trial in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2166. There can be no impunity for those responsible for this appalling crime.”
The MH17 flight, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down with a Russian-made missile over eastern Ukraine in July 2014.
It led to sanctions against Russia by the European Union, and heightened tension between Russia and Western powers.
Russia has consistently denied any involvement or providing financial or military support to pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.
The joint investigation team concluded in May 2018 that the missile launcher belonged to the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian Federation.