Russia's Campaign of Fabrications and Lies on the fifth Anniversary of Russia's Shooting Down of MH17

Human Rights in Ukraine reports families of persons killed in the shooting down of MH17, have on the fifth anniversary of MH17's destruction, addressed an open letter to Russia.

Their letter makes the point I made in an earlier post and an article in Euromaidan Press that Russia continues to deny its culpability and, moreover, engages in an extensive campaign of fabrications and lies to cover up its culpability.

Alone among nations, Russia's conduct and that of Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, stand out for its deceit and hypocrisy. 

Human Rights in Ukraine writes, The family members have no illusions after these five years.  They [family members] write: “To this point there has been no acknowledgement by the Russian state of their involvement in the shooting down of MH17. Worse, Russia has spread multiple, bogus and contradictory explanations about what happened. This has taken place on a massive scale through social media but also through the main state sponsored media channels. It took time for us to realise that this barrage of conflicting theories was the result of a state orchestrated campaign of denial, distraction and distortion. The Russian government has done its best to hide the truth, or worse, convey the idea that there is no reliable truth to be found. We the families of MH17 have found this disturbing and deeply offensive.”

Future Russia will stand or fall on its ability to act honestly toward its own people and the international community.  It cannot do that if it is engaged in shadow conflicts with neighboring, independent countries, as well as far-flung conflicts in Syria and elsewhere, where it willfully and purposefully violates human and state rights, refuses to be held accountable, and carries out extensive disinformation campaigns built on deliberate fabrications and lies.  Russian civil society pays a high social and economic price for its government's crimes and will until the government's behavior changes.

My earlier posts and article can be found here,

Russia's Campaign to Discredit the MH17 Investigation (continued)

http://dirkmattheisen.blogspot.com/2019/07/russias-campaign-to-discredit-mh17.html

Russia's Campaign to Discredit the MH17 Investigation

http://euromaidanpress.com/2019/06/26/whataboutism-strikes-again-in-russias-disinformation-campaign-to-discredit-the-mh17-investigation/

And, here is a link to the private analytical service, Bellingcat, on the status of the MH17 investigation and known links to the Russian military, secret services and the Kremlin.

Russia's Campaign to Discredit the MH17 Investigation (continued)

The prospect of identifying those in the Russian military who shot down MH17 and their political bosses just got a lot stronger.

In Euromaidan Press I had written about Russia's attempts to discredit the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigation to identify those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Flight MH17, killing 298 people, and “gathering criminal evidence for prosecution.”  I had written,

...Despite Russia’s categorical denial of the facts, the well-advanced JIT investigation [and indictment by The Netherlands on June 19 for complicity of three Ukrainian and one Russian nationals] is on the verge of naming the Russian military officers and their political superiors who are responsible for downing MH17.  At that point, Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine will be incontrovertible, even if already we know enough that Russia’s involvement is undeniable. There will then be more significant indictments close to or up to the Kremlin, as well as the real possibility of additional sanctions.

Now, Bellingcat.com, an independent, open-source and social media investigation group, has an excellent report on the capture of a Ukrainian national, Vladimir Tsemakh, in Russia-occupied Ukraine who was present during and likely involved in the handling of the BUK missile launcher that shot down MH17.  Read here,

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2019/07/09/the-arrest-of-vladimir-tsemakh-and-its-implications-for-the-mh17-investigation/

Bellingcat.com writes, 

"Whatever his actual role on 17 July 2014, Tsemakh’s arrest may have a significant impact on the JIT investigation and the pending court procedure. If his 2015 claims that he helped to hide the Buk missile launcher and part of its crew on 17 July 2014 turn out to be true, this would make him a key witness to JIT, and possibly an indicted suspect on counts of complicity and obstruction. Even if he was exaggerating his role on the day of the downing, in his position as local anti-aircraft unit commander he would have been well informed to make him a valuable witness to the prosecution.

...

"Tsemakh’s testimony in court would strengthen the legitimacy of the court proceedings, as it is so far not known that another person of interest with direct involvement in DNR’s military operations at the time and place of the downing has been detained. A person with his prior role will be able to shed light not only on the specific event on the day of the downing, but also on the chain of command, which will be a crucial line of inquire for the Dutch courts."

Establishing in a court of law Russia's culpability in shooting down MH17 will establish also Russia's instigation and conduct of the war in eastern Ukraine.  It will establish beyond a doubt the Russian state's use of lies, deceit, fraud and disinformation as state policy, and Russia as a dangerous rogue state.