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Russia demands "complete and transparent" investigation into MH17 downing
Russia wants a "complete and transparent" investigation into the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014, a spokesperson for president Vladimir Putin said to news agency Tass, AD reports.
This follows a press conference in which the Joint Investigation Team revealed its preliminary results in the criminal investigation into the downing. So far the team concluded, based on convincing evidence, that the Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down by a missile that was transported from Russia to the Ukraine and then back again after the plane came down. The missile was fired from an agricultural field Pervomajsk in the control of pro-Russian separatists.
The spokesperson for Putin also pointed out that Russia provided detailed information about the crash, which was not used in the investigation. "This case is surrounded by a huge amount of speculation and unprofessional information. In addition, some countries refuse to provide information, such as radar data." he said. He did not add that Russia released its radar images only on Monday.
At the press conference in which the investigation results were presented, a Russian journalist also asked why information from a Russian BUK missile manufacturer was not used in the investigation. This information was published just hours before the Dutch Safety Board published the results of its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disaster last year.
To that question Public Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke answered: "We have more than enough information about the missile. The information from the manufacturer would not have led us to different conclusions."
In the press conference Wilbert Paulissen, representing the police, also stated that the discussion around the radar images, and which countries provided them and which didn't, is done as far as the team is concerned - the team has more than enough for the purposes of the investigation.