International journalist group Bellingcat, known for open-source investigations of military topics, presented a new report to the Dutch government, which identifies 20 Russian soldiers involved in the Malaysian Boeing’s crash near Donetsk. Its analysts believe that the Buk missile system that brought down Flight MH17 had been delivered to the Ukrainian border by soldiers of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade’s 2nd Battalion, permanently stationed in Kursk.The report notes that the Buk 3х2 missile launcher was most probably operated by a Russian crew belonging to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which spent the summer of 2014 at Ukraine’s borders.
The analysts also provide detailed information about the brigade’s command hierarchy who provided the probable murder weapon that killed MH17’s passengers (while their subordinates might have used it). In addition, the report contains information about 14 officers of the 53rd Brigade’s 2nd Battalion, including commanders of individual crews belonging to the unit.
“Ultimately, responsibility for the downing of MH17 from a weapon provided and possibly operated by the Russian military lies with the Ministry of Defense and the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, President Vladimir Putin,” stressed the compilers of the report.
Senior Vice President of the Center for European Policy Analysis Edward Lucas commented on the Bellingcat report’s release: “This is an excellent report, but it says what we already knew. And response to the report, both in Russia and elsewhere, has been just as anticipated as well.”
German political scientist Andreas Umland believes that Bellingcat’s new report on MH17 will no longer play a significant role. “In 2014, Westerners debated the nature of the Putin regime. Since then, trust in the Kremlin has declined to such an extent that this report by the Bellingcat adds nothing to this picture. Since few people in the West still believe Putin’s words, the confrontation between Russia and the West over the incident will now move into the legal arena. Still, Bellingcat’s report will probably be of great importance for current and future investigations conducted by official national and international bodies such as the Dutch Safety Board,” the expert stressed in a comment for The Day.
