Investigators: Moscow to blame for MH17 crash
A team of international investigators has officially pinned responsibility for the downing of flight MH-17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 on Russian troops. The Buk surface-to-air missile system was moved to a base in Kursk in Donbass shortly before the plane was downed, the team concluded. Commentators examine why this tragedy that cost 298 lives is still far from resolved.
The Propaganda war will continue
The report won't change Russia's attitude in the least, Právo is convinced:
“On the one hand unlike Ukraine, Russia is not on the investigative committee. That fact is being used by Russia as an argument for calling the investigation and its findings into question. Even more importantly, Russia is justifiably asking why it would have wanted to provoke sanctions, and why Kiev didn't close off its airspace back then. ... The propaganda war will now enter a new phase. The victims and their families, meanwhile, stand to gain nothing from all of this. A compromise - and with it material compensation - can only be reached if the sanctions against Moscow are lifted. But that is not to be expected any time soon.”
Russian web of lies must not be ripped apart
Echo of Moscow explains why Moscow continues to deny it bears any responsibility for the crash:
“Russia could admit that it was involved in the tragedy, make a proper apology, show remorse, and pay enormous damages. That would solve the problem. But it doesn't because then the web of lies named 'It's not us' would be torn apart. Moscow would have to participate in the Minsk process, own up to supplying weapons to criminals, and take responsibility for 12,000 Ukrainians killed by Russian weapons. And that's a pipe dream. ... Because admitting that it caused deaths - even unintentionally - would raise a terrible question in the minds of Russian voters: Does that mean that Putin is not God? Could it be that he makes mistakes after all?”
Russia must feel the consequences
Since the majority of those killed when flight MH17 was shot down were Dutch it's high time the Netherlands adopted a tougher stance towards Moscow, De Telegraaf demands:
“It's time the Netherlands were more resolute vis-à-vis Vladimir Putin's cynical and lying regime now that it has been convincingly proven that the Russian state was involved in the downing of flight MH17. ... But Russia is playing innocent. Despite the overwhelming evidence it is firmly denying that a missile system ever crossed the border into Ukraine. ... Russia's attitude has been scandalous from the start. ... It has done nothing to help uncover the truth. ... It must be made to feel the consequences of its actions.”