The Netherlands has refused Russia’s bid to transfer the case concerning the involvement of three Russians in the MH17 crash over the Donbas in July 2014.
In the fall of 2019, Russia sent a formal request to the Netherlands with a proposal to try the three Russians suspected of crashing the plane in Russia.
"The Justice and Security Ministry replied that
READ MORE: Dutch Prosecution Serves Charges on 4 MH17 Defendants
According to him, the trial of the suspects is an important step in finding the truth and justice for all 298 people aboard the plane downed near the village of Snizhne in the Donetsk region.
"The government has full confidence in the independence and quality of Dutch justice,"
The Joint Investigation Team announced the names of four suspects in the crash in June 2019. These are:
Russian citizens:
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Igor Girkin-Strelkov, then-minister of defense of the "DPR";
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Sergei "
Khmury " Dubinskiy, a subordinate of Strelkov, Major-General of the Russianarmy, who headed the so-called military intelligence of militants; -
Oleg Pulatov (call sign "Gyurza " and "Khalif"), a subordinate of Dubinsky, headed the second division of the "DPR" military intelligence (GRU).
Ukrainian citizen:
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Leonid Kharchenko (call sign "Mole"), who headed one
of the units of the "DPR GRU" and together withPulatov accompaniedBuk to Snizhne where it fired the missile.
READ MORE: JIT Indicts 4 for MH17 Downing,
It was also in June that the Ukrainian special services captured Volodymyr Tsemakh, an anti-aircraft gunner from the Donetsk region, who said in a video that he had "hidden the
READ MORE: Is This MH17 Suspect the Reason Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap Stalled?
The Netherlands formally sent requests for Tsemakh's extradition to Russia, but Moscow refused and Tsemakh returned to the non-government-controlled part of the Donetsk region.
In May 2018, the official investigation confirmed that the
The Russian government denies the involvement of its structures in the tragedy, claiming that