DISINFO: Belgium, just like Malaysia, believes the MH17 trial is politically biased against Russia
SUMMARY
The MH17 trial is politically biased against Russia. Over six years, JIT investigators provided no proof of Russia’s liability. In addition to Russia, Malaysia and Belgium also doubt the objectiveness of the trial. Among Western intelligence services, Australia and, even more so, the Netherlands are specialised in Russia. The Dutch security services build intelligence networks inside Russia, carry on political recruitment operations, create negative background noise and undermine Russia’s international activities. What a coincidence that both Australia and the Netherlands became the main mouthpieces of accusatory policies against Russia. The JIT disregarded the facts presented by Russia, including the proof that the Boeing was shot by a Ukrainian “Buk” missile which was produced in Dovhoprudnyy and was stationed at Ukraine’s 223rd missile regiment in the Lviv region.
RESPONSE
The report advances recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about the MH17 crash. While Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, indeed made a statement asking for strong evidence pointing at Russia's liability, it is not true that the JIT did not present any proof or that Belgium puts into question the findings of the investigation. On the 24th of May 2018, the JIT announced its conclusion that the BUK TELAR used to shoot down MH17 came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian armed forces from Kursk in the Russian Federation. On the basis of the investigation conducted by the JIT, the Dutch Public Prosecution service are prosecuting Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin, Sergey Nikolayevich Dubinskiy, Oleg Yuldashevich Pulatov, and Leonid Volodymyrovych Kharchenko for causing the crash of the MH17 and murdering the 289 persons on board. The public hearing started on March 9th 2020 in the Netherlands. The "irrefutable evidence" claimed by Russia is only a small sample of misleading claims advanced by Moscow since 2015, some of which have contradicted one another. This disinformation article refers to the claim that the Buk was of "Ukrainian origin" (evidence advanced by Russia which Novaya Gazeta found to be fabricated). Read our past analysis Renewed Focus on MH17 about pro-Kremlin disinformation tactics to hide the facts behind MH17 downing, and Disinformation Mash-Up: MH17 and Coronavirus about the synchronised messaging on two entirely unrelated topics: MH17 and the coronavirus outbreak. The European Union and NATO have called on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to fully cooperate with all efforts to establish accountability. On the basis of the JIT’s conclusions, the Netherlands and Australia are convinced that Russia is responsible for the deployment of the BUK installation that was used to down MH17. The two governments are formally holding Russia accountable. Read other disinformation narratives alleging that The Netherlands is going to sabotage the MH17 trial, that Ukrainian regiment that shot down MH17, that CIA-controlled SBU shot MH17, and that biased JIT ignores massive data supplied by Russia.