DISINFO: The Netherlands is complicit in the MH17 downing

This is a recurring disinformation narrative spread by pro-Kremlin media outlets aimed at distracting attention from the Kremlin's responsibility for the MH17 tragedy, which occurred in July 2014 when the passenger plane with the above flight number was shot down with a Russian Buk missile over Eastern Ukraine in Kremlin-supported separatist areas in the Donbas region.

There is no evidence to suggest that the Netherlands, nor any investigators looking into the case were in any way involved in the tragedy.

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. On June 19, 2019, the JIT concluded that four individuals were involved in the tragedy and charged them accordingly, including Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov from Russia, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.

The MH17 crash is a recurring topic spread by pro-Kremlin disinformation actors, with Ukraine and the US being among the frequent targets. Explore similar cases here.