The Russian maker of BUK missiles has released videos of a missile being exploded close to the nose of decommissioned Ilyushin plane in an attempt to discredit the findings of an official inquiry into the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet MH17.
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The 15-month investigation was not tasked with apportioning blame or liability for the crash – a separate criminal probe into who is responsible is to follow. The team of investigators was led by the Netherlands but included members from four other countries heavily affected by the crash: Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine.
A bitter war was raging in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces when the aircraft was downed and, amid a huge worldwide outcry, many Western experts and governments immediately blamed the rebels. At the time, the cause of the catastrophe was not clear, but it was believed that Flight MH17 had been shot down.
“This report, from the Dutch Air Safety Board, will not provide all the answers to all of their questions”. The warhead detonated just outside the cockpit on the left side of the aircraft, blasting it with projectiles and ripping the plane open.
Information from the first experiment, in which a missile was sacked at aluminum sheets mimicking an airliner’s fuselage, was presented to the Dutch investigators, but was not taken into account, Almaz-Antey chief Yan Novikov said at a news conference.
According to CNN, Joustra said the warhead that downed the plane fit a Buk rocket system. The Russians indicated that the “bow-tie” fragments have been phased out of their weapons.
“Yet, despite of all this, Ukraine did not close its airspace”.
“The Russian commission categorically disagrees with the conclusions of the final report”.
The investigation also found that 160 flights passed over the airspace before the MH17 incident occured. And, as most expected, it concluded a missile targeted the plane.
The report said “it can not be ruled out that a few occupants remained conscious” during the 60 to 90 seconds before the debris spilled across the Ukrainian countryside. It pointed out that three other aircraft were flying in the area when MH17 was hit by the missile.
“As a result of the detonation the forward part of the airplane was torn off. The airplane broke up in the air, the wreckage came down in an area of about 50 kilometres at the eastern part of Ukraine”, Joustra added.
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Investigation of the crash site of MH-17 by Dutch and Australian police officers.
