Moscow Unable To Track Int'l Investigators' Use Of Russian Data On MH17 - Prosecutors

Moscow is unable to verify how the international joint investigation team (JIT) on 2014 crash of MH17 Boeing over Ukraine is using the data submitted by Russia, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolay Vinnichenko told RIA Novosti

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) Moscow is unable to verify how the international joint investigation team (JIT) on 2014 crash of MH17 Boeing over Ukraine is using the data submitted by Russia, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolay Vinnichenko told RIA Novosti.

"Unfortunately, since Russia is not a part of the JIT, we do not have such an opportunity [to see how the data is used]. Almost immediately, it became clear that the JIT was biased against both Russia and the data it provided. In fact, it has ignored the data," Vinnichenko said.

According to the deputy prosecutor general, this happened with the Primary radar data submitted by Russia in October 2016, "which was the most important evidence of the trajectory of the missile that shot down flight MH17."

"At first, there was a long silence, then the accuracy of our radar data was questioned by experts working with the JIT, whose qualifications cannot be verified. In Russia, meanwhile, a special group of qualified specialists was engaged in analyzing this primary data. The above-mentioned experts said that if Russian radars did not detect any missile, it didn't mean that it wasn't there. That was their argument," Vinnichenko said.

On July 17, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the city of Donetsk.

All 298 passengers and crew on board the aircraft died. Kiev accused local militias of downing the aircraft, while they said that had no weapons capable of downing such a plane.

The interim conclusions presented by the JIT suggested that the plane had been downed by a Russian-made Buk missile originating with a military brigade stationed in the Russian city of Kursk. The JIT could not say what court and when would be given the results of the investigation.

According to Vinnichenko, Russia sent the JIT the data showing that the missile that hit the Boeing was a Ukrainian one, but this information was not taken into account.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the JIT allegations of Russia's links to the crash were groundless and regrettable, adding that the investigation was biased and one-sided. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed out that Russia was not allowed to participate in the investigation of the crash, and Moscow can only recognize the results of the probe if it participates in it fully.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that all missiles like the one, whose engine the Dutch investigative commission showed, were discarded after 2011.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly stressed that Russia strongly refutes accusations of having links to the crash of MH17 Boeing.