REUTERS
By blocking the creation of an international tribunal into the crash of the MH17 passenger liner downed over Donbas, the Russian authorities in fact recognize their guilt in the tragedy, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko told a joint press conference with President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite in Kharkiv.
"Today, the Russian Federation is blocking the creation of a tribunal into the downing of MH17 liner, which is a confession," president’s spox Svyatoslav Tsegolko tweeted, quoting Poroshenko as saying.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko called the initiative to establish an international tribunal to investigate the MH17 crash an "interference" in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.
UNIAN memo. Malaysia Airlines' MH17 Boeing 777 heading from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July 17, 2014, over militant-occupied territory in Donetsk region. All 298 people on board who were citizens of 10 countries were killed in the crash. The majority of the victims, 196, were citizens of the Netherlands.
Read alsoBellingcat identifies drivers of convoy trucks involved in Buk transportation to DonbasThe Dutch Safety Board October 13, 2015, issued a report on the causes of the accident. It was revealed that the plane had been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft missile system. The Joint Investigation Team in its report published on September 28, 2016, confirmed that the plane had been downed by a Russian-made Buk brought to Ukraine from Russia. The missile launch site was located in militant-controlled Pervomaisk.
Nearly 100 people are among the suspects in the investigation. Russia said the report could not be perceived as "ultimate truth," calling the JIT conclusions "preliminary."