DISINFO: Kolomoysky has to flee Ukraine because he knows the truth about MH17
SUMMARY
Igor Kolomoisky is among the few Ukrainians who have factual knowledge about what really happened to Malaysia Airlines’ MH17 flight in Eastern Ukraine in 2014. He is facing growing pressure from the CIA which is why he will have to apply for political asylum in Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative about the downing of the MH17 flight that was shot down by pro-Kremlin separatists in Eastern Ukraine and claimed the lives of 298 passengers and crew in 2014.
The narrative above is designed to suggest that Russia is not responsible for the plane's downing and the subsequent deaths of hundreds of civilians.
According to the findings of the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from 2016, flight MH17 was shot down by a missile from the 9M38 series, which was launched by a BUK TELAR missile system. The system was transported from the Russian Federation to an agricultural field near the town of Pervomaiskiy in Eastern Ukraine, from where the missile was launched. After firing, the system, with one missing missile, went back to the Russian Federation. On the 24 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.
The European Union has 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 Flight MH17. The two governments are formally holding Russia accountable. In addition, the Dutch government decided to bring Russia before the European Court of Human Rights for its role in the downing of Flight MH17.
The narrative's move to involve billionaire Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, is also unsubstantiated. While Kolomoisky did serve as the Governor of Dnipropetrovsk, a south Ukrainian region for less than a month in March 2014, he did not hold public office at the time of the MH17 downing.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation actors have attempted to divert attention from Russia's responsibility from the downing of MH17 for multiple times. For further cases, click here.