Experts find out origin of installation, used to down MH17
The Buk missile launcher, which was used to down MH17, originated from the Russian anti-aircraft missile brigade stationed near Kursk.
This is reported by the Ukrayinska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth) media outlet, referring to the report of the British expert and journalist group Bellingcat, which specializes in conducting investigations based on open sources.
It is noted that on July 17, 2014, a Buk missile launcher, originating from the 53rd Brigade near Kursk, Russia, travelled from Donetsk to Snizhne. It was then unloaded and drove under its own power to a field south of Snizhne, where at approximately 4:20 pm it launched a surface-to-air missile that hit Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as it flew over Ukraine.
The experts name the installation “Buk 3×2”, based on inscription on the right side. The Bellingcat experts present some photos showing the identity between the installation seen in the area of Snizhne and the installation as part of military convoy delivered from Kursk to Millerovo in Rostov region in June 2014. The identity is evidenced by the fact that the rubber pads under the tracks of Buk have similar damages on the photos.
In addition, according to the experts, they succeeded in identifying the four people who could drive a car carrying Buk.
A Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH17, which flied from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Ukraine and the international community claim that the plane was hit by Buk missile launcher, provided to militants by the Russian military. Russia denies this version.
In July, Russia vetoed the draft resolution of the UN Security Council on setting up of the international tribunal to investigate the accident.
The Netherlands representatives stated that the international independent investigation would be presented on October 13.
