MH17 investigators to name first suspects five years after Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down
Russia denied any involvement in attack and maintains missile came from Ukrainian-held territory
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Your support makes all the difference.Almost five years since a Malaysian Airlines plane was blown out of the sky over conflict-torn Ukraine, investigators building a criminal case against those responsible are set to announce progress in the probe.
The Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT) is expected to name suspects and the charges later on Wednesday.
All 298 passengers and crew on flight MH17 were killed on 17 July 2014 when a missile hit the Boeing 777 aircraft which was flying between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur.
The plane was shot down during the height of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and investigators have blamed pro-Russian separatists, who they say may have accidentally targeted the plane believing it to be a military aircraft.
It is believed to have been shot with a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile.
According to the JIT and other intelligence, the Buk missile used to bring the plane down originated from Russia’s 53rd anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which is based in the western Russian city of Kursk.
Contact with the aircraft was lost over a pro-Russian rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine when it was about 50km (31 miles) from the Ukraine–Russia border.
The wreckage of the plane fell near the village of Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, 40km from the border.
Russia has steadfastly denied any involvement in the attack, saying the missile had been launched from within Ukraine-held territory.
Last year Russian president Vladimir Putin described MH17’s downing as a “terrible tragedy” but said Moscow was not to blame and there are other explanations for what happened.
The governments of the Netherlands and Australia have said they hold Russia legally responsible.
Ukraine’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, Olena Zerkal, told Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday the investigators will name four suspects. Prosecutors declined to comment on her statements.
The families of those killed will be informed of developments Wednesday ahead of a news conference by investigators.
The Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation and Moscow is not expected to surrender suspects. Dutch authorities have said suspects may be tried in absentia.
Additional reporting by agencies
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