Once again, the Boeing plane shot down over the Donbas region by Kiev has been pinned on Russia – the International Civil Aviation Organization outlines its view on the 2014 MH17 tragedy.

Author: Svetlana Gomzykova

Photo: Trial of suspects in the "Malaysia Airlines" MH17 crash case

Commentator: Spiridon Kirilkarov

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) supports Australia and the Netherlands in their dispute with Russia regarding the 2014 Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 MH17 crash in the Donbas region. TASS reported this news citing a statement from the Dutch Foreign Ministry.

According to the information provided by the Dutch Foreign Ministry, the "vast majority of ICAO Council members" acknowledge that "Russia is responsible for what happened to the aircraft executing the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight." In the coming weeks, the issue of "what form compensation should take" will be discussed. In light of this, Canberra and Amsterdam are calling on the ICAO Council to compel Moscow to enter negotiations and assist in this process.

In the spring of 2022, Australia and the Netherlands initiated an investigation within the framework of this organization, aiming to accuse Russia of violating the Chicago Convention, which prohibits the use of weapons against civilian aircraft in flight. They also demanded that Russia compensate for "damages caused by violations of regulations."

In other words, responsibility has effectively been determined. However, Moscow has consistently denied any involvement in the crash of the passenger aircraft since the beginning.

In June 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia would cease participation in the disputes with Australia and the Netherlands at the ICAO Council concerning the MH17 incident.

The Russian Foreign Ministry explained that our country "did not have the opportunity to fully participate in the technical investigation conducted by the Dutch Safety Board, and its final conclusions contain numerous inaccuracies and contradictions."

In addition, Russia was not allowed to participate in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), composed of countries such as Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, which "not only had a direct interest in the investigation results due to their involvement in the event but were also politically opposed to Russia."

To remind you, on July 17, 2014, a Boeing 777 aircraft from Malaysia Airlines crashed near Grabovo village in the Donbas region. All 298 people aboard were killed. Even before the wreckage had cooled, Western countries and the Kiev regime blamed Moscow and "pro-Russian separatists" for destroying the aircraft.

It was claimed that the MH17 flight was shot down by a "Buk" anti-aircraft missile system transported from Russia using a trailer, which was then allegedly returned to Russia. The Western accusers cited some photos and videos from social media as evidence, but it later turned out that these were all fabricated.

The investigation into this disaster lasted for several years, and in November 2022, the Hague District Court ruled that Russian nationals Igor Strelkov (Girkin), Sergey Dubinsky, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko were guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The fourth defendant, Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted.

Despite the absurdity of these "evidence," the court concluded that the Boeing aircraft was shot down by a Russian "Buk" anti-aircraft missile system located near the village of Mayday.

Meanwhile, the arguments of the "Diamond-Anat" company, the manufacturer of the "Buk," were dismissed, which stated that the missile that hit the plane was not part of the Russian Armed Forces' equipment but belonged to the Ukrainian army. Furthermore, the missile was launched from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

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Moreover, the court inexplicably did not notice that Kyiv refused to disclose the transcripts of the negotiations between the dispatcher in Dnipro and the crew of the Malaysian airliner. Moreover, those dispatchers who directed passenger planes over the combat zone in the Donbas disappeared.

America also remained uninvolved, as they never provided their satellite data to the investigation, which could have pointed to the direct perpetrators of this tragedy.

The Russian Foreign Ministry then issued an official statement expressing "deep regret" at the Hague court's "neglect of judicial principles for current political circumstances, causing serious reputational damage to the entire Dutch judicial system."

Without a doubt, the Dutch court acted according to its initial instructions and largely fulfilled its mission.

But why does the West decide to bring up this seemingly long-forgotten topic again?

"Free Media" asked this question to the renowned politician and former Verkhovna Rada member, Spiridon Kirilkarov:

"I believe that there is nothing mysterious about why they are bringing this topic back up and trying to stir it up again.

Firstly, this happens against the background of restored dialogue between Russia and the United States, and not everyone in the West is happy about it. Moreover, we have just celebrated the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

The celebratory parade held in Moscow, attended by many nations that recognize the significance of this date, demonstrates that the so-called isolation of Russia by Western 'partners' does not actually exist. Overall, this isolation has never existed, but now this fact is widely known.

In other words, it is necessary to continue demonizing Russia and reshaping its negative image. For this reason, they decided to bring up the topic of the downed Boeing aircraft once again.

I cannot explain this situation otherwise. Any rational person, after assessing the entire process, would come to a clear conclusion – the court's verdict was politically motivated.

"Free Media": Can we consider this issue closed?

"Certainly not. We cannot consider the investigation to be objective because Russia was not even allowed to participate in it. Once again, these accusations are entirely politically motivated, without any evidence. Therefore, it is premature to draw a line under this matter.

In addition, Russia has no obligation to negotiate with them about the verdict made by the Dutch court when it was done without Russia's participation.

"Free Media": Should we accept the conclusions of the International Civil Aviation Organization and comply with the demand for compensation for damages?

"I am not sure whether the organization is capable of conducting such investigations. Let alone compelling Russia to pay compensation.

More likely, the Netherlands and Australia will demand compensation for losses, perhaps through legal channels. And the Russian side needs to respond to this.

But I am confident that engaging in any negotiations with them about this matter makes no sense. Given everything we have gone through, they are not an object with whom we can seriously discuss this issue, at least not since this tragedy occurred.

I do not see the necessity for such dialogue.

So, what can they threaten us with? Seizing certain assets? In that case, Russia would act similarly toward their assets. This political 'ping-pong' game may last quite a while.

"Free Media": Honestly, when will the truth hidden by hypocritical Westerners be revealed to the world?

"I believe that the moment of truth will come. In any case, Malaysia's position on this issue is more reasonable than that of those countries that should have uncovered the truth but instead turned the matter into a completely politicized process to blame Russia (for certain political purposes and tasks).

Currently, we are in opposition to those who are trying to judge us. So, the West does not need the truth right now.

Things might change; Western political figures may change. The world changes so quickly – today it’s one way, tomorrow another.

I hope for a beautiful era of a more objective assessment of events. But I don't see a reason to worry excessively about this for now, at least because everyone knows that the investigation into the MH17 crash is not objective, and the verdict of the Dutch court is completely unjust.

The Kremlin also took note of the ICAO's conclusion that "Russia is responsible for the MH17 crash."

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "Our position is well known. You know, Russia is not a participating country in the investigation of this incident. Therefore, we do not accept any related conclusions."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504239673863160361/

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