MH17 trial: Netherlands Prosecutor's Office wants to get testimony from Pulatov

The National Public Prosecutor's Office of the Netherlands wants to get the testimony of one of the suspects in downing MH17 - Lieutenant Colonel of the Russia’s military intelligence service Oleg Pulatov, who had earlier expressed his willingness to participate in the trial.

One of the Dutch prosecutors made a corresponding statement during the court hearing, an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague reports.

The prosecutor suggested several options for how Pulatov's testimony could be obtained. In particular, he may come to the Netherlands to testify in court. Another possible option, according to the prosecutor, is to give evidence in Russia to representatives of the Dutch side.

The prosecutor also called on Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko to explain their statements on the MH17 crash.

The prosecutor said that Kharchenko earlier had stated in an interview that he had not been involved in the crash, but the evidence suggests that he was involved in the installation of a Buk missile system.

Dubinsky also "has a lot to explain." For example, months after the MH17 was downed, it became known about his involvement in the incident. Dubinsky confirmed that his voice could indeed be heard on the recording of the conversation about the plane crash, but later denied that he had known about it.

"He now has the opportunity to explain how we should understand these different statements," the Dutch prosecutor said.

As reported, the trial of four men suspected in the downing of MH17 started in the Netherlands on March 9.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over conflict-hit Donbas in July 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died. The JIT reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belongs to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.

In May 2018, the Netherlands and Australia formally accused Russia of being responsible for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet.

On June 19, 2019, the international Joint Investigation Team named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system, from which MH17 flight had been downed. Three of them are Russians: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), former colonel in Russia's FSB intelligence service and former so-called defense minister of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic”; Sergey Dubinskiy, general (at the time of downing – colonel) of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the so-called “Main Intelligence Directorate of the Donetsk People’s Republic”; Oleg Pulatov, lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The fourth suspect is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian civilian, who fought on the side of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic.”

None of them was present at the court hearing. The interests of Pulatov are represented by the lawyers.

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