Russian general accused in downing

MOSCOW — A semiretired Russian three-star general oversaw the crossborder movements of a rocket launcher used to bring down a passenger jet in 2014 over eastern Ukraine, killing all aboard, an investigation by a team of reporting outlets has found.

The reporting team, made up of McClatchy and investigative websites Bellingcat (based in London) and The Insider (based in Moscow), identifies the general as Nikolai Fedorovich Tkachev.

His identification is potentially a breakthrough in a case that has frustrated Dutch and other investigators who have struggled for years to identify voices on a key phone intercept. They might now be closer to decoding the chain of command that brought down the unsuspecting Malaysia Air Flight 17 traveling at an altitude of more than 30,000 feet.

In the intercept, a commander is heard giving orders and talking with junior officers; they appear to be discussing equipment associated with a missile launcher and used to move it.

The investigators, who had earlier asked for help in identifying perpetrators, were reviewing the new information about Tkachev and had no immediate comment on the findings.

The doomed flight originated in Amsterdam on July 17, 2014, bound for the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, with 283 passengers and 15 crew members aboard, including one American citizen. The flight was believed struck by a surface-to-air missile near the disputed border between Russia and Ukraine.

Rigorous analysis by experts on two continents of audio files confirms with high likelihood that he’s the man heard on phone intercepts ordering the movement of the BUK missile launcher.

Asked by The Insider, Tkachev denied giving the order to fire or even being in the area.