Russia slams Dutch court verdict on MH17 crash

The rebuke came after Hague District Court found Russian citizens Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko guilty of the MH17 plane crash.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused a Dutch court of targeting Moscow during the proceedings of a case related to the 2014 Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane crash in eastern Ukraine which resulted in the deaths of all 298 passengers. The rebuke came after Hague District Court found Russian citizens Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko guilty of the MH17 plane crash.

It also ruled that the Buk missile that downed the plane was fired from an area controlled by Donetsk and not Ukraine at the time of the incident. "We deeply regret that the Hague District Court neglected the principles of impartial justice for the sake of the current political environment," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

After the verdict, Moscow suggested the court has damaged the reputation of the entire Dutch judicial system. "Both the course and the results of the proceedings indicate that it was based on a political order for corroborating the version, promoted by the Hague and its associates in the joint investigation team, about Russia's involvement in the tragedy," the statement read.

The MH17 passenger flight from Amsterdam to Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur crashed in the Donbas on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers and crew members on board were killed. The Dutch-led international Joint Investigation Team (JIT), said that the aircraft was shot by a Russian-made Buk missile originating from a military brigade stationed in the city of Kursk.

Moscow said that the JIT allegations of Russia's links to the crash were groundless, alleging that the investigation was biased and one-sided. Meanwhile, the United States welcomes today's decision on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

"The decision by the District Court of The Hague is an important moment in ongoing efforts to deliver justice for the 298 individuals who lost their lives on July 17, 2014," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. "Today's decision is the result of sustained work by a Joint Investigation Team comprised of authorities from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine, and reflects the Netherlands' firm commitment to establish the truth and pursue accountability in this case," he added. (ANI)

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