Today the Dutch Safety Board will release the results of its investigation into the cause of the July 17 crash of the Malaysian Air machine MH17 in 2014.
It is generally assumed the evidence will conclude that the machine was shot down by a Buk missile produced in Russia, but as the board does not have the authority to put the blame on anyone, a carefully-worded diplomatic statement keeping the Russian government out of the whole thing is to be expected.
The two main theories about the crash that circulate right now are that either pro-Russian separatists or Ukrainian forces shot down the passenger plane, with Western powers subscribing to the former, and Moscow to the latter. The board’s report will neither deny nor confirm any of these, but prosecutors are separately trying to get the culprits in court. The only problem with getting anyone into a courtroom is that no place has been decided upon as of yet as Russia vetoed a Dutch proposal to set up an international tribunal.
The Dutch Safety Board will also discuss why the plane flew over the Ukrainian conflict zone with 298 civilians aboard, because, even though the airspace was still open at a certain altitude, most other airlines rerouted their planes to ensure passenger safety.
The manufacturer of the missiles has also set a press conference for today, possibly to refute the board’s claims about the projectile’s origins.
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