The trial of four suspects accused of shooting down flight MH17 does not, according to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, mark the end of investigation and prosecution. He calls the hearings a very important step towards uncovering the truth, but also towards justice for the victims and their relatives.
The criminal process, according to Rutte, is a matter that requires endurance and patience. Step by step, we are getting closer to uncovering the truth, and to tracking down and prosecuting those responsible for bringing down flight MH17. According to Rutte, this remains the highest priority for the Dutch cabinet. The death of 298 innocent people of 17 different nationalities cannot and must not go unpunished.
According to the Dutch head of government, investigations are still ongoing into possibly other suspects in the attack. On Monday, the trial against the first four suspects will begin in the extra-secure court located on the grounds of Schiphol Airport. Three Russians and one Ukrainian stand trial there. They will likely not be present at the hearings themselves and will be tried in absentia.
Prime Minister Rutte said on Friday after his weekly cabinet meeting that the Netherlands wants to keep the pressure on. The start of the trial before a Dutch court will also create pressure and, according to Prime Minister Rutte, will cause "discomfort" in certain countries. He did not name any countries specifically, but it can reasonably be assumed that he referred to Russian President Putin.
According to international investigators, the Malaysian passenger plane carrying 298 people, including 196 Dutch nationals, was shot down by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile from the Russian military. This missile launcher was also returned to Russia after being fired from an eastern Ukrainian rebel-controlled area. The men now on trial did not themselves fire the missile (did not "push the button"), but were responsible for deploying the deadly weapon.
The Netherlands held Russia accountable in 2018 for involvement in the downing of flight MH17. This was done together with Australia. Both countries hope to compel Russia to cooperate with the investigation and handling of the tragedy. Meanwhile, diplomatic-level contact with the Russians is being maintained. That process is formally separate from the legal proceedings starting Monday, but many consider that in reality the Kremlin and Russian President Putin are the ones in the defendant's dock.
Moscow and the pro-Russian militias have denied in every possible way from the very beginning that they were responsible for or involved in shooting down the Malaysian plane. Initially, it was denied that MH17 had even been shot down, and later that a BUK missile had been fired. When JIT investigators or private Bellingcat researchers later produced irrefutable evidence involving Russians, Moscow again raised new smokescreens. They held on absurdly to some half-truths, outright lies, and incredible denials.
If the Kremlin ever thought that denials, vagueness, contradictions, agitation, and fake news could conceal reality, it can now be concluded after six years that the Russians have mostly created an unsustainable Gordian knot of lies for themselves. Essentially, they have mainly ensured that not the real shooters are prosecuted, but that it is primarily the Kremlin and Putin who have been put on trial.