Russian experts have obtained latest facts with the help of additional study of the MH17 crash, concluding that the final Dutch report regarding the same crash in Ukraine was inaccurate and unsubstantiated. This was revealed by the civil aviation regulator of Russia Rosaviatsia.
As per the letter sent by the deputy head of Rosaviatsia Oleg Storchevoy to the chairman of the Dutch Safety Board Tjibbe Joustra, the Russian experts carried out their research based on the data provided in the final report as a result of which they obtained some rather important facts about the MH17 crash which had not been examined during the investigation and compilation of the report.
The new facts that have come to light include the heavy air defense systems that were present in Ukraine at the time of the MH17 crash. Apparently, these systems were not controlled by the government of Ukraine and its forces stationed in the area.
The aircraft was hit by a high explosive 9N314M warhead launched by a surface to air missile system. The Russians have taken into account the position of the missile as well as the position of the aircraft when the explosion occurred. They also made allowance for the area from which the missile was supposedly launched.
The Dutch Safety Board’s final report on MH17 crash ignored the fact that Ukrainian authorities distorted information regarding the threats posed to the civilian flights that arose from its military activities in the region. This information may have been withheld by Ukraine deliberately.
The Russian letter pointed out that : ‘The conclusion made in the report…that Ukraine, having sovereign control of its airspace, was responsible for ensuring the safety of flights…appears to be incomplete and does not reflect the objective fact that Ukraine ignored safety risks for civil aircraft after unleashing hostilities in the east of the country’. Rosaviatsia has posted the complete text of its letter on its official website.
Boeing 777 of Malaysia Airlines crashed over the Southeastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk on 17 July, 2014. 298 people on board the plane lost their lives. At the time the government forces of Ukraine and pro-independence militias were involved in heavy fighting in the same region. Both of them blamed each other for the incident.
The Dutch Security Board released its final report during the mid of October. It revealed that a surface to air missile exploded towards the left side of the aircraft. Later during the month, Storchevoy complained that the Dutch investigation team had not allowed Russians access to the missile fragments that were found at the MH17 crash site.
They also refrained from disclosing the serial numbers. A number of pictures that allegedly show missile fragments have also raised doubts about the entire investigation and its results.
The Russian manufactures of the Buk missile systems Almaz-Antey has also conducted an investigation into the MH17 crash. Its investigation revealed that the aircraft could only have been hit by a Buk system located in the Zaroshchenske region which was under Ukrainian control at the time of MH17 crash.
