Disinfo: The New York Times sends stories to the US government for approval

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Flight MH17 denying Russia's responsibility. One of many examples of competing and contradictory stories promulgated by Russian state-controlled media on MH17.

The Dutch-led criminal investigation by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been ongoing since 2014. On 28 September 2016, the JIT announced that flight MH17 was shot down by a missile from the 9M38 series, which was launched by a BUK TELAR missile system. The system was transported from the Russian Federation to an agricultural field near the town of Pervomaiskyi in Eastern Ukraine, from where the missile was launched. After firing, the system - with 1 missing missile - went back to the Russian Federation. On the 24th of May 2018, the JIT announced its conclusion that the BUK TELAR used to shoot down MH17 came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian armed forces from Kursk in the Russian Federation.

Russia's rights were first suspended for one year by PACE in 2014, following the illegal annexation of Crimea. The resolution adopted by 145 votes in favour, 21 against and 22 abstentions. The suspension was extended in 2015 for three months given "the role and participation of the Russian Federation in the conflict in eastern Ukraine".

Indeed, Russia's actions aggravated the situation: by the time the suspension was to be reviewed in April 2015, the Russian delegation had broken off all contacts, boycotting PACE for the next four years. In 2017, it stopped paying its membership contributions which amounted to 7 percent of the institution's whole budget. In 2018, it declared it would abandon the institution if the decision was not reverted.