Eurocontrol Denies Warning Kiev of Airspace Threats Prior to MH17 Crash

The Eurocontrol spokesman also said that the decision to leave the airspace open over eastern Ukraine, as of July 2014, even over the altitude of 9,753 meters, "was solely the decision of the relevant local authority, Ukraine."

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) denies urging Ukraine to close the airspace in the country's war-torn east prior to the MH17 crash, the organization's spokesman told Sputnik on Friday.

In December, The Sunday Times reported with other media outlets picking up the story that Eurocontrol experts urged Ukrainian authorities to close the airspace over eastern Ukraine days before a Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 crashed on July 17, 2014.

"It was not our role to warn Ukraine. That was their role to assess the risks," the air traffic control organization's spokesman told Sputnik.

Eurocontrol only "plays the role of a network manager" and helps to coordinate air traffic, he added.

The spokesman also said that the decision to leave the airspace open over eastern Ukraine, as of July 2014, even over the altitude of 9,753 meters (32,000 feet), "was solely the decision of the relevant local authority, Ukraine."

On July 17, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in southeast Ukraine, with all 298 people on board losing their lives.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said there would be no amnesty for those guilty of the MH17 crash.