MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia regrets that it is unable to participate in the investigations into the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight that occurred in 2014, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
“Unfortunately, we don’t always get the answers to our questions in regard to the situation in this tragedy. Moscow will of course do everything possible in order to find justice.”
Peskov added that Russia has regularly expressed its regret that it does not have the opportunity of participating in the investigation or cooperating with those who are running the investigations.
Kremlin Calls for Politicization-Free MH17 Crash Probe
The investigation into the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine in 2014 needs to be free of politicization and should not be used as a reason for a kangaroo court, the Kremlin spokesperson said Thursday.
“Russia insistently pursues a line to make this investigation real and free of any politicization. This investigation has to be used to identify the ones who are guilty of the murders and cannot be used as a reason for a kangaroo court.”
On Wednesday, a total of 11 of 15 UN Security Council member-countries supported the draft resolution on an MH17 tribunal introduced by Malaysia, but Russia, as a permanent member of the Council, vetoed it.
Russia has repeatedly stated that the initiative to establish a tribunal is premature and counterproductive, stressing the importance of waiting for a final report from the Dutch Safety Board, authorized to conduct the official investigation into the MH17 incident.
In September 2014, the Dutch Safety Board released a preliminary report on the crash, which revealed that the plane broke up in mid-air after being hit "by a number of high-energy objects penetrating the plane from the outside." A final report by the Dutch Safety Board is expected in October.
In June, Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey unveiled the results of its own inquiry into the crash, suggesting that flight MH17 was downed by a guided missile launched by the Buk-M1 system, currently used by the Ukrainian army.
