- Russia has been accused of lying about its role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 by relatives of the 298 victims, who are now testifying in the murder trial of four suspects
- The Malaysian passenger plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a missile allegedly fired by Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in May 2018
- Three Russians and a Ukrainian citizen suspected of being part of the separatist forces involved in the incident are accused of murder and have been on trial for a year and a half
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Russia has been accused of lying about its role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 by relatives of the 298 victims, who are now testifying in the murder trial of four suspects held in the Netherlands.
The Malaysian passenger plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a missile allegedly fired by Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in May 2018, international investigators concluded, but Moscow denies all responsibility.
Ria van der Steen, who lost her father and stepmother, told the court, “They are lying, we know they are lying and they know that we know that they are lying.”
She made this statement in Russian, “For the benefit of those who are listening on behalf of the Russian regime today.”
“I want it to be known that I know where the responsibility lies. Lying and falsehoods are a familiar tactic in this game of cat and mouse, through which we are aspiring to uncover the truth,” she added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government are part of the “political nightmare” that led to the downing of the plane, stressed Australian Vanessa Rizk, who lost both parents on the plane when she was 22.
“I still cannot fathom that our family is caught up in a frustrating and deadly political crisis,” she told judges.
Three Russians and a Ukrainian citizen suspected of being part of the separatist forces involved in the incident are accused of murder and have been on trial for a year and a half.
One sent lawyers to the trial, so under Dutch law, the case is not considered entirely tried in absentia. A verdict is expected to be issued in late 2022, judges said on Monday.
Russia, which claims it is not funding or supporting rebel groups fighting the Ukrainian military, has refused to extradite the suspects.
