Russians formally blamed for attack on plane
RUSSIA is being held formally responsible for the destruction of the MH17 jet by Australia and the Netherlands.
The country has always denied involvement in the 2014 missile strike, which saw a plane carrying 298 people shot down over rebelheld Ukraine.
But on Wednesday, international investigators announced that the missile system that brought down the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight came from a Russia-based military unit.
Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok said following that conclusion “the Government is now taking the next step by formally holding Russia accountable”.
He said the Netherlands and Australia have “asked Russia to enter into talks aimed at finding a solution that would do justice to the tremendous suffering and damage caused by the downing of MH17”.
Russia denies involvement in the July 17, 2014 missile strike.
Though the country has long been linked to the downing of the plane, holding them formally accountable on a international stage is the new step.
Newcastle United fans Liam Sweeney, 28, and John Alder, 63, were among those on board the Malaysia Airlines plane, which was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
On Wednesday, Liam’s dad Barry, 56, from Killingworth, said an admission from Russia would help families like his move on.
He said: “I want Russia to say they made a mistake and own up to it. They have always said it was the Ukraine. If we had a reason why something happens then we can move forward. I am a positive person, I’m obviously affected by what has happened, but in Liam’s memory I want to move forward.
“We are never going to forget but we want to move on but we can’t do that without knowing why.”
The Dutch and Australian authorities accepted that holding Russia responsible for the deaths would be “a complex legal process”.
Mr Blok added they call on Russia to accept its responsibility to achieve justice for the ‘victims and their next of kin.’