On July 2019, it is 5 years anniversary since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in the sky over the Ukrainian region Donbass. For these years’ large work of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been carried out (done by representatives of Australia, the Netherlands, and Malaysia) – results of private investigations were published, hundreds of opinions on guilt or innocence of these or those persons in destruction of a civil airliner were written.
In the run-up to this mournful anniversary a visit of Stef Blok, the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, to Australia and Malaysia is remarkable. Therefore, on March 27 Mr. Blok during a joint press conference with the Australian colleague Maris Payne noted an indisputable guilt of the Russian Federation in destruction of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Moreover, he underlined that governments of two countries are convinced of the need for establishment the truth regardless of political or economic conjuncture.
Next day, on March 28, the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands visited Malaysia and discussed the question on further work of the JIT on the issue of MH-17 crash together with economic and financial problems.
Both during visit to Australia and negotiations with the Malaysian colleague Dato Saifuddin Abdullah, Mr. Blok evaded the questions of journalists concerning further course of investigation of the crash and punishment of those responsible. Let’s allow to assume that similar restraint is a tribute to impartial justice. According to the common decision of the Netherlands, Australia and Malaysia trial in the issue of the flight MH17 will be carried out in the Netherlands and therefore many significant details are not subject to disclosure in the interests of the investigation and impartiality of the future court. There is, however, no uncertainty in this issue – the JIT studied carefully the place of the flight crash, carried out complex of specialized examinations, including a type of rocket that struck a civil airliner. Numerous attempts of the Russian diplomats to declare murder of nearly 300 citizens of the different countries as provocation of Ukraine were completely disproved by the JIT. Moreover, Russian ownership of that ‘Buk’ surface-to-air missile system from which the Boeing had been brought down was established.
Therefore, attempts of the Russian Federation to start secret negotiations on compensations and other options of settlement of criminal trial in the matter of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 do not make sense. When responsible for the tragedy is obvious, for a civilized society price of a compromise is too high.
In summary, it should be noted that specific performers – operators and commanders of ‘Buk’ – would be punished eventually. Taking into account the international resonance of the tragedy MH17 it is inevitable.
The terrorist state, which is capable to destroy civil planes for achievement of the geopolitical purposes, has to be also punished.