Tell us the truth, families urge Putin on eve of trial

Relatives of the victims of the MH17 air disaster have called on the Kremlin to come clean about its role in the shooting down of the plane as four Russians go on trial in the Netherlands.

Hundreds of relatives of the 298 passengers and crew killed in July 2014 on the Malaysia Airlines flight will gather in Amsterdam today for the opening of the trial, which follows a fiveyear investigation involving five countries.

Igor ‘‘Strelkov’’ Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, are charged with the murders of all 298 people.

But none of the accused men, who are believed to be in Russia, is expected to attend, and only Pulatov has appointed a defence

‘‘As long as they come clean, say, ‘We made a mistake, it’s our fault, we gave the order,’ that is the most important thing.’’ Robby Oehlers

team. Russian law forbids the extradition of citizens to face criminal charges.

‘‘You know we have to do it just to prove that we are civilized and if someone does wrong you have to go to court and explain yourself. That’s how we do it here in the West,’’ said Robby Oehlers, whose cousin Daisy Oehlers and her boyfriend Bryce Fredriksz were killed on MH17.

‘‘As long as they come clean, say, ’We made a mistake, it’s our fault, we gave the order,’ that is the most important thing.’’

Jordan Withers, whose uncle, Glen Thomas, was one of 10 British passengers killed, said: ‘‘I think if the people who did it owned up, it would be so much easier for us. We wouldn’t have to go through this heartache and relive it all again.’’

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down as it flew over an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russianbacked separatists fighting a war of secession.

Dutch prosecutors say it was shot down by an SA-11 BUK missile launcher from the Russian army’s 53rd air defence brigade, which had been deployed in support of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Russia has never admitted to deploying troops to the area and denies any part in the MH17 disaster.

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, last night urged Russia to cooperate. He said: ‘‘This trial is an important milestone towards accountability for the shooting down of MH17 and the tragic deaths of the 298 people on board – including 10 British people.

‘‘The Russian state must now cooperate fully with this trial in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2166. There can be no impunity for those responsible for this appalling crime.’’ – Telegraph Group

AP A picture of Bryce Fredriksz and his girlfriend Daisy is placed amidst 298 empty chairs, each chair for one of the 298 victims of the downed Malaysia Air flight MH17, in a park opposite the Russian embassy in The Hague, Netherlands.