DISINFO: The MH17 case is politically motivated
SUMMARY
The results of the investigation of the Almaz-Antey firm are not taken into account by MH17 investigators. The firm showed in 2015 that 9M38M1 rockets cause damage to airplanes on impact that were not present on the Malaysian Boeing that was shot down over Eastern Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, aiming to discredit the criminal trial and the Joint Investigation Team (JIT). The public hearing on the incident started on 9 March 2020 in the Netherlands. Both claims by Buk manufacturer Almaz-Antey were debunked back in 2015 by Bellingcat. The article fails to mention that the firm is the manufacturer of the Buk air defence system that downed MH17, according to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT). The JIT has concluded that flight MH17 was shot down on 17 July 2014 by a missile of the 9M38 series, launched by a BUK-TELAR, from farmland in the vicinity of Pervomaiskiy. At that time, the area was controlled by pro-Russian fighters. The BUK-TELAR was brought in from the territory of the Russian Federation and subsequently, after having shot down flight MH17, was taken back to the Russian Federation. For similar cases, see here and here. For our overview and analysis of disinformation narratives around the downing of MH17, click here.