Russia does not take responsibility for crimes

The acutely poignant photograph of the 20 year old Leeds undergraduate and former Dixie Grammar School pupil, Richard Mayne, which accompanied the unattributed article (H.T. 12/8/20), concerning the decision of the Dutch authorities to take action against the Russians in the European Court of Human Rights over their responsibility for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by a Russian missile in 2014, should serve as a reminder of the that tragic event.

This picture of a young man on the threshold of adult life radiates the virtues of humanity, optimism and good nature - all cut short by reckless military action when Richard died along with 297 other victims.

The writer goes on to explain that Moscow has always denied any responsibility for the disaster and quotes the head of the Russian foreign affairs committee as claiming that “investigations are not yet complete”(how much longer do they need?) - and questioning what it has to do with the European Court of Human Rights. Perhaps he does not recognise the “Human Right” of innocent civilians not to be blown out of the sky and killed.

What is certain is that Russia has historically and habitually denied any responsibility for its crimes and wrongdoing. It denied the mass-murder of the Polish Officer-class and Intelligentsia at Katyn during its occupation of that country in WW2; claimed no knowledge of the abduction and imprisonment of the Swedish diplomat and humanitarian, Raoul Wallenberg, during the Cold War; they refuted any responsibility for the murder of the prominent dissident, Litvinenko, by poisoning with radioactive Polonium 13 years ago and dismissed as political malice reports of statesponsored doping and falsification on an industrial scale of drug test results on Russian athletes and more recently and audaciously denied any part in the murderous use of Novichok in Salisbury - despite the overwhelming evidence of its culpability. So there is little likelihood, I feel, of Russian cooperation or even recognition of the court’s deliberations.

The Soviet Empire may have imploded nearly 30 years ago and many Russians have since embraced Capitalism and adopted some western attitudes and habits but at heart the Russian Bear remains a duplicitous, deceitful and dangerous animal.

AY, Burbage