The results of investigation into the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, announced by the Joint Investigation Team on June 19, are of key importance because they provide definitive answer to the question of where the deadly weapon used to shoot the plane down came to the territory of Ukraine from and who organized the operation.

Main suspects have been named: they are active or former agents of the Russian special services and a citizen of Ukraine, who provided assistance to them.

The investigation is yet to determine the role of the so-called “Crimean Prime Minister” S. Aksionov, some other persons who are high-ranking officials in the premeditation of the crime, as well as to name its direct perpetrators – crewmembers of the infamous BUK.

Court trial of the main suspects will commence on March 9, 2020 at a national court in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
All the important legal aspects related to the transfer of criminal proceedings, court hearings and verdict execution is regulated by the relevant Agreement between Ukraine and the Kingdom of the Netherlands of July 7, 2017 on international legal cooperation with regard to the downing of flight MH17.

The said agreement has established a proper legal basis for a thorough and legitimate court consideration of the Joint Investigation Team investigation results, where Ukrainian law enforcement agencies cooperate with the law enforcement agencies of the states, whose citizens died as a result of the downing of MH17.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to highlight the fact that the prosecution of suspects in the case of premeditation and committing of crimes related to the shooting down of MH17 is inextricably linked with Russia's responsibility as a state for violating a number of conventions, thus making these crimes possible. Among those, in particular, is the violation of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which is the subject of court trial of Ukraine against Russia in the International Court of Justice.

We call on the Russian Federation to acknowledge its responsibility for supplying the arms and to cooperate with the investigation, as stipulated by UNSC Resolution 2166 of July 17, 2014.