MH17 case: Oleg Pulatov's lawyers met with their client in Russia

A correspondent of Ukrinform in the Hague reports.

Six months after the start of the process, the defense went to Russia and talked to Pulatov. According to a Dutch lawyer, Sabina ten Dusshate, who represents Pulatov's interests, communication with the client was fruitful.

"Our client states that he has nothing to do with the transportation, protection of the Buk missile system, or the downing of MH17. He doesn't know how MH17 was shot down. He states that he did not see any Buk, and neither he nor his subordinates contacted with a Buk," Sabina ten Dusshate told during the speech.

She also noted that Pulatov told lawyers that he saw only the consequences of the downing of MH17.

According to her, the defense couldn't meet with Pulatov for a long time because of the coronavirus. So they could not submit all the applications in June. Now they insist that they need to build a complete picture after meeting Pulatov. So, again, they are missing the deadlines. 

"Our earlier motions concerned alternative versions of the tragedy, as we cannot consider the guilt proven unless an alternative version is ruled out… The court needs more information on our client's position to make a decision about motions, and we need to talk to him about the case information," she said.

Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis stressed that he was "unpleasantly surprised" by the lack of inquiries and motions at the agreed time.

Pulatov's lawyers promised to file all motions in November.

The third session of the trial of the case of the MH17 flight shot down over Donbas started in the Netherlands on August 31.

A Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 flying MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over the occupied part of Donbas on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board, all of whom died.

The international investigation team concluded that the plane of the MH17 flight was shot down by the Buk anti-aircraft missile system, which belongs to the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, stationed in Kursk.

On June 19, 2019, the investigative team named the four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat employment of the Buk. They include a former FSB officer, the so-called former DNR Defense Minister Igor Girkin (Strelkov); a general, and at the time of the plane downing, a colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, DNR GRU Chief, Serhiy Dubinsky; GRU Special Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Pulatov (all citizens of the Russian Federation); a citizen of Ukraine Leonid Kharchenko, who fought on the side of the "DPR".

On July 10, 2020, the Netherlands filed a lawsuit against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights.

The European Court of Human Rights has registered a lawsuit filed by the Netherlands against Russia over the downing of flight MH17 over Donbas.

The Foreign Ministry said that the list of suspects in the MH-17 case may include Russia's military-political leadership.

The Foreign Ministry told how Russia tried to use the case of MH17 against Ukraine.