MAS plane with 295 on board shot down over Ukraine, Interfax reports

[Cylon]

Russia summons Dutch ambassador over MH17 probe findings

AFP on October 4, 2016, 7:04 am

Moscow (AFP) - Moscow on Monday summoned the Dutch ambassador to complain over the findings of a criminal probe into the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 that said the missile used to shoot it down was brought in from Russia.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was blown out of the sky on July 17, 2014 over war-torn eastern Ukraine killing all 298 on board, the majority Dutch citizens.

Criminal investigators from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine last week said they had "irrefutable evidence" that a BUK missile slammed into the plane and was fired from a field in a part of eastern Ukraine then controlled by pro-Russian rebels.

Russia reacted with fury to the allegations and tried to push a range of its own claims in a bid to shift any potential blame onto Ukraine -- prompting Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders to summon Russia's ambassador to complain about the "unacceptable" comments by Moscow over the findings.

In a tit-for-tat move, the Russian foreign ministry said Monday that it explained to the Dutch ambassador Renee Jones-Bos why the findings "could not be recognised as satisfactory by Russia".

The Dutch foreign ministry responded that the ambassador had taken the opportunity to "call again for Russian cooperation" to help bring those responsible for the slaughter to justice.

AFP

 

[Cylon]

Russia has given MH17 radar data to Netherlands

AFP on October 28, 2016, 2:28 am

Moscow (AFP) - Russia has handed over to the Netherlands raw radar data from the area where Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, Moscow confirmed Thursday.

"We gave the Dutch side raw radar data which we discovered a month ago," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told AFP.

She spoke after Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur told parliament on Wednesday that Russian prosecutors had handed "a packet of information" to the Dutch embassy in Moscow.

He said he could not give details because the contents needed to be assessed to see if they were useful for the investigation.

Russia's defence ministry in late September released what it claimed were new radar images showing that there was no missile fired from rebel-held territory on the day of the MH17 flight in July 2014, contradicting some of its earlier declarations.

The ministry released the images to journalists two days before the Dutch-led international team of criminal investigators released initial findings on September 28 into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that found the missile was transported from Russia.

The Dutch-led investigative team, which has spent two years investigating the crash that killed all 298 people on board the Boeing 777, said at the time that Russia had not given them this new radar data.

Ukraine and the West insist pro-Russian rebels blew the jet out of the sky with a Russian-made Buk missile system likely supplied by Moscow.

The tragedy saw the European Union slap tougher sanctions on Russia -- blamed by the West for being behind the rebellion. The punitive measures remain in place as the fighting drags on.

But Russia and the rebels have consistently denied any role in downing the plane, and have instead blamed Ukrainian government forces.

AFP