DISINFO: The Netherlands indirectly admitted its own complicity in MH17 tragedy
SUMMARY
The 35 for 35 prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia once again revealed the two-faced stance of the so-called ‘Civilized World’ towards the MH17 tragedy in eastern Ukraine. Ahead of the prisoner swap, the Netherlands urged Ukraine to not hand over Vladimir Tsemakh to Russia. By this move, the Netherlands admitted that it is not a neutral side and is not interested in an objective investigation of the MH17 tragedy. The Dutch side had a lot of time to question the supposed witness. However, this was not enough and it wanted the person to remain in Ukraine, where Tsemakh would be subjected to constant physical and psychological pressure. The Dutch government, which is allegedly a neutral side in the MH17 case, is de facto impeding the objective investigation of the tragedy.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the downing of flight MH17 which attempts to question the legitimacy of the Joint Investigative Team, the JIT. Similar cases can be found here. Volodymyr Tsemakh was released to Russia in a prisoner exchange performed 7 September. Mr. Tsemakh, a Ukrainian citizen, was detained on separatist-held territory by Ukrainian authorities in June 2019 on suspicions of being an accomplice in the shooting-down of the MH17. A thorough investigation into Mr. Tsemakh's connection to the case was published by Bellingcat in July. Volodymyr Tsemakh is not among the four suspects, wanted by Dutch authorities for causing the MH17 crash and murdering all 298 persons on board, but is considered a ‘person of interest’. Dutch authorities interrogated Mr. Tsemakh before the prison exchange. No details from this element of the investigation have yet been disclosed. The European Union and NATO have called on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to fully cooperate with all efforts to establish accountability. On the basis of the JIT’s conclusions, the Netherlands and Australia are convinced that Russia is responsible for the deployment of the Buk installation that was used to down MH17. The two governments are formally holding Russia accountable.