RUSSIA is seeking to “liquidate” key witnesses to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines MH17, it has been claimed.
Colonel Vasily Geranin, described as a “key witness”, was last month secretly taken into custody by Vladimir Putin’s FSB security service, according to a voluntary Ukrainian group probing the crash.
The allegation comes ahead of the third anniversary of the 2014 tragedy, which killed 298 people, and as a tribunal is being established to formally investigate the horror, reports The Sun.
The Turnbull government said MH17 victims will get justice with the Netherlands taking over the prosecution of suspects.
Witness in the #MH17 case Colonel Geranin of the #RussianGRU arrestedinformnapalm.org/en/witness-in-…
Geranin is seen as a “possible accomplice” into the downing of the plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, claims open source intelligence investigation agency InformNapalm.
His voice is alleged to be heard on an “incriminating” intercepted phone call with rebel leader Igor Bezler in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
The tragic plane was downed by a Russian-supplied Buk missile complex in pro-Moscow rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
The call is seen as evidence that Russian-sponsored rebels were behind the deadly strike on MH17.
The SBU intelligence agency in Kiev alleges that Geranin — a high ranking Russian GRU military intelligence officer — “personally supervised” Bezler.
Geranin has not given his version of events and is now in custody, so putting him out of reach of international efforts to probe the crash.
The reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 is put on display during a press conference. Picture: AP Photo/Peter Dejong, FileSource:APAds by Kiosked
He was allegedly detained in Russia for possessing illegal munitions, including parts of a grenade launcher, and retrospectively fired from the GRU.
But the group allege this is part of an FSB “special operation” related to the MH17 attack, reported Ukrainian news source Unian.
Reports in a Moscow news outlet about his detention have been removed, it is claimed.
The voluntary group claim: “The efforts of the special services of the Russian Federation to isolate and liquidate witnesses of the terrorist act against the passengers of MH17 indicate (Moscow) is trying its best to obstruct the investigation process.”
The parents of an Australian victim of the MH17 crash left flowers on the wreckage in July 2014. Picture: AFP/Bulent KilicSource:AFP
Geranin, believed to be 50, is seen in a 14-year-old picture in Chechnya obtained by InformNapalm with another suspected GRU figure Igor Girkin (aka Igor Strelkov).
Girkin is being sued by MH17 families for his role in commanding rebel forces in eastern Ukraine when the plane was shot down.
Russia blocked a UN-backed tribunal into the downing of MH17.
Another key player Russian Major General Sergey Dubinsky — accused of relocating the Buk missile complex — is in hiding and has refused to give details of his knowledge of the incident.
NETHERLANDS TAKING OVER PROSECUTION
Meanwhile, MH17 victims will get justice with the Netherlands taking over the prosecution of suspects, the Turnbull government said.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders on Wednesday announced suspects in the incident would be prosecuted in the Netherlands, though none have so far been named.
The criminal investigation is still ongoing and it’s unknown when the trial will start.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said the government had full confidence in the “quality, impartiality and integrity” of the Dutch legal system.
“While we cannot take away the grief of those who lost their loved ones because of this atrocious act, we are committed to holding the perpetrators to account and achieving justice for all the victims,” they said in a statement.
“The joint investigation team’s decision to support a Dutch national prosecution will ensure that results from the investigation are taken into account and that justice for the victims and their families, including the 38 people who called Australia home, is delivered.”
They’ve urged other states to join in the pursuit of justice and co-operate fully with efforts to achieve accountability.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said they have faith in the quality of the Dutch legal system. Picture: Kym SmithSource:News Corp Australia
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