Russia Ready To Personally Brief Dutch MH17 Investigators On Russian Data - Prosecutors

Russia Ready to Personally Brief Dutch MH17 Investigators on Russian Data - Prosecutors

Russia is still willing to help the international investigation of the 2014 crash of MH17 Boeing over Donbas, guarantees the authenticity of the Russian data and is ready to personally brief Dutch investigators on it, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolay Vinnichenko told RIA Novosti news agency

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) Russia is still willing to help the international investigation of the 2014 crash of MH17 Boeing over Donbas, guarantees the authenticity of the Russian data and is ready to personally brief Dutch investigators on it, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolay Vinnichenko told RIA Novosti news agency.

"The Russian side is still ready to assist in the investigation in every possible way. At the same time, we call on our Dutch counterparts to take into account Russian data, which is really very important. Russia guarantees the authenticity of all submitted data. We are ready to personally brief the Dutch investigators on it," Vinnichenko said.

The deputy prosecutor general noted that Moscow was hoping for "cooperating as closely and openly as possible, to the benefit of this complex case."

Vinnichenko added that the Russian data provided "a sound reason to review the interim findings of the criminal investigation, during which unfounded and unsubstantiated accusations are being made against Russia."

"However, we face the same thing time and again � even before studying our data, our foreign colleagues insist that they will still not doubt their previous findings. It turns out that, regardless of what Russia provides, it is by default 'useless for the investigation' � no matter how much it will help, 'it does not cooperate properly'," the deputy prosecutor general said.

On July 17, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the city of Donetsk. All 298 passengers and crew on board the aircraft died. Kiev accused local militias of downing the aircraft, while they said that had no weapons capable of downing such a plane.

The interim conclusions presented by the Dutch-led international joint investigation team (JIT), which does not include Russia, suggested that the plane had been downed by a Russian-made Buk missile originating with a military brigade stationed in the Russian city of Kursk. The JIT could not say what court and when would be given the results of the investigation.

According to Vinnichenko, Russia sent the JIT the data showing that the missile that hit the Boeing was a Ukrainian one, but this information was not taken into account.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the JIT allegations of Russia's links to the crash were groundless and regrettable, adding that the investigation was biased and one-sided. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed out that Russia was not allowed to participate in the investigation of the crash, and Moscow can only recognize the results of the probe if it participates in it fully.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that all missiles like the one, whose engine the Dutch investigative commission showed, were discarded after 2011.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stressed that Russia strongly refutes accusations of having links to the crash of MH17 Boeing.