A majority of Russian citizens believe their country should pay compensation to the relatives of the downed Malaysian passenger plane MH17, if it turns out that Russia is responsible for shooting down the aircraft.
This emerges from a survey by an independent Russian research agency, in cooperation with a Dutch university and a Dutch think tank. The study was conducted at the end of 2019, in which over 1,600 Russians were specifically asked about the Netherlands, writes the newspaper Trouw. Around 55 percent of Russians agree or strongly agree with the statement that Russia should pay compensation if Moscow’s guilt is proven.
The issue has caused tensions between Russia and the Netherlands for many years. The Dutch government and public opinion hold Russia responsible for shooting down the Malaysian airliner that departed from the Netherlands in 2014. All 298 people on board died in eastern Ukraine, including nearly two hundred Dutch citizens.
In three weeks, a trial will begin in a Dutch court against four suspects for shooting down the plane. The suspects are three Russians and one Ukrainian. They are alleged to have been involved in transporting the Russian missile to the pro-Russian rebel area. They are accused of murder of the 298 passengers, including 196 Dutch nationals.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has advocated from the very beginning for compensation for the relatives, prosecution of the perpetrators, and public acknowledgment of guilt.
The Russian government has so far denied any involvement, refuses to extradite suspects, does not want to cooperate with Dutch Justice, and blocked the establishment of a special MH17 court at the United Nations. The Kremlin also rejected the findings of the international Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which determined that the weapon was a Buk missile from a Russian battalion.
A quarter of Russian citizens find it difficult to say who is responsible for the disaster. A slight majority (53 percent) thinks the Ukrainian military is guilty. The share of citizens pointing to the Russian military, volunteers, or pro-Russian rebels as perpetrators is growing. It is now 10 percent, compared to 2 percent in an earlier, similar study.
For the study, participants were not only specifically asked about the MH17 issue but also about their overall opinion of the Netherlands. It appears that almost three-quarters of Russians say they think positively to very positively about the Netherlands. Five percent of Russians have a negative view of the Netherlands, according to the research by the independent Russian institute Levada, commissioned by Leiden University and the knowledge platform Raam op Rusland.