MH17 investigation: Putin decided to supply Buk missile system that downed plane

There are strong indications to believe that the decision to supply the Buk anti-aircraft missile system to militants of the "Donetsk People's Republic" was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Source: Conclusion of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Team has published the results of its investigation into who was responsible in the Russian Federation for the downing of flight MH17 by a Buk missile.

In recorded phone conversations, Russian officials say that the decision to provide military support rested with the president. The decision was even postponed for a week "because there is only one person who can make the decision... the person who is now at a summit in France." At the time, on 5 and 6 June 2014, President Putin was in France to celebrate D-Day [the Normandy landings], the anniversary of the massive Allied landing during World War II.

"There is specific information that the separatists' request was passed on to the president and that this request was granted. It is not known whether the request mentions the Buk system. A little later, heavier air defence systems appeared, including the Buk system that shot down MH17. Although we are talking about hard evidence, the high bar of complete and convincing evidence has not been met. In addition, the president enjoys immunity as head of state," the report says.

The JIT shared its findings with the families of 298 victims and published a report. Although much new information about the various individuals involved has been uncovered, the evidence is not yet strong enough to lead to new prosecutions.

Background:

• On 17 November 2022, the District Court of The Hague sentenced Igor Girkin, Serhiy Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko to life imprisonment in absentia for their role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Donbas and ordered their arrest. The court ruled that they must pay more than €16 million in compensation to the relatives of the victims.
• Meanwhile, the court found the fourth defendant, Oleg Pulatov, not guilty, despite the fact that he was Girkin's deputy and had given instructions to the other defendants to evacuate the Buk system. 
• The Hague court also recognised that Russia controlled the ‘Donetsk People's Republic’ at the time of the downing of MH17.

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