Russia lashes out over MH17 charges

Relatives of the 298 passengers and crew killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have hit out at Russia as four suspects were charged.

Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son and daughter-in-law were killed in the disaster, said she blamed Russian president Vladimir Putin for the devastating tragedy.

“He made this possible,” said Ms Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son Bryce and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers were among the victims. “He created this situation. He is the main responsible person.”

Those killed include 38 Australian citizens and residents, 193 Dutch, 43 Malaysians, 12 Indonesians, 10 Britons and one New Zealander.

Moscow slammed the “unfounded accusations” by the global investigation team, which overnight announced murder charges against four people over the 2014 shooting down of the plane above rebel-held eastern Ukraine.

Three of the suspects are former Russian officials, while one is a Ukrainian who was under their command in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic.

“Once again, absolutely unfounded accusations are being made against the Russian side, aimed at discrediting Russia in the eyes of the international community,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Moscow said it had been ready to provide “all-round assistance to the investigation” from the first day, but had been frozen out.

“Russia had no opportunity to take part in it even though it showed initiative from … the very first days of this tragedy,” Mr Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters before Wednesday’s announcement.

Russia has long denied all involvement in the downing of the jet.

The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team, which includes Australian officials, issued arrest warrants for the suspects during a press conference in the Netherlands, and said they would hold a trial in March — with or without them.

The suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, as neither Russia nor Ukraine extradites their citizens.

Ms Fredriksz-Hoogzand said she was relieved that she night finally see justice for her son, five years after the downing of the Boeing 777.
 

“I am happy that the trial is finally going to start and that the names have been announced,” she said. “It’s a start. I’m satisfied.”

Dutch chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the Russian government had failed to co-operate by withholding information about the transportation of the Buk Telar missile that shot down MH17 into eastern Ukraine.

“They could have told us what happened,” he said. “They didn’t. I wouldn’t call this co-operation.”

He called it a “slap in the face” for the families of the victims. “We now have proof Russia was involved in this tragedy, this crime,” he said. “One day after 17 July (2014) they were in a position to tell us exactly what happened. They knew. The Buk was used in eastern Ukraine and they knew this. They didn’t give us this information.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he welcomed the announcement that four suspects will be prosecuted for causing the crash and murdering those on board MH17.

“This is an important milestone in the efforts to uncover the full truth and ensure that justice is done for the killing of 298 people from 17 countries,” he said.

“I have full confidence in the independence and professionalism of the investigation and the Dutch legal system. As the United Nations Security Council has made clear, all countries should co-operate with efforts to establish truth, justice and accountability.”

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The Russian Federation must now co-operate fully with the prosecution and provide any assistance it requests.”