PACE admits MH17 plane shot down by the Russian Buk missile

Author:
Oleg Panfilovych
Date:

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has concluded that a Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a missile from Russiaʼs Buk anti-aircraft missile system.

This was reported on the PACE website.

The PACE reached this conclusion on the basis of evidence provided to the rapporteur by the Ukrainian and Dutch authorities. The Assembly also said it was shocked by the "misinformation" spread by the Russian authorities about the downing of the plane.

"Instead of providing reliable information to the competent investigative bodies, the Russian authorities are spreading misinformation, including consistent conflicting versions of events designed to create confusion. According to open source intelligence published in numerous reports, the Russian government has gone so far as to provide manipulative radar, satellite, and other data to conceal the truth," the statement said.

The PACE confirmed that the Russian version that the plane was shot down by Ukrainian fighters, the Ukrainian Buk missile fired from the territory controlled by Ukraine, was completely refuted.

The PACE reiterated its call on Russia to cooperate with ongoing investigations, provide adequate satellite and radar data on the beatings, and formally apologize to the relatives of the MH17 victims for the pain and suffering caused by the misinformation.

The Assembly also called on the European Court of Human Rights to consider giving priority to the statements of relatives of the victims of the accident "in view of their intense and prolonged suffering".