Prosecutor Says Witness Saw 'Russian Soldiers' Before Buk Missile Launch On MH17 Crash Day

AMSTERDAM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2020) An anonymous witness has testified that they allegedly saw "Russian soldiers" prior to the launch of a Buk missile system on the day when the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, Dutch prosecutor Dedy Woei-a-Tsoi said on Tuesday.

The Malaysian jetliner crashed on July 17, 2014 while it flew over a conflict zone in Ukraine's east on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board. The prosecution believes the plane was downed by a Buk missile launched from the war-torn Ukrainian region of Donbas. Russia has repeatedly denied claims that its servicemen operated in the conflict area.

"The case has evidence from witness M58 ... They say that on July 17, 2014, during the crash of flight MH17, they were on a crossroad south to Snizhne [a city in the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic] near the Buk missile system during its launch ... The witness repeatedly stated that, among other things, they recognized that the soldiers at the launch site spoke with a Russian accent and that Russian soldiers were on this Buk," the prosecutor said during the ongoing trial at in The Hague.

No further information has been provided as to how the witness could distinguish "Russian soldiers" solely based on hearing their speech while a significant part of Ukrainians speak Russian as their first language.

According to the prosecutor, the witness testified in October and the prosecution took measures to protect their identity, hence their absence in the court room.

To investigate the deadly crash, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been set up by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. They have claimed that the plane was hit by a Buk missile that belonged to the Russian armed forces. Russia, which is not part of the JIT, has consistently denied the allegation and offered its cooperation in the investigation but was denied access to the probe.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow has decommissioned all missiles like the one found by the JIT since 2011. Russia has said it had provided the Dutch-led team with radar data and documents proving that the missile belonged to Ukraine.