The Prosecutor’s Office of Donetsk region has issued a notice of submission to a fighter of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”), who guarded the fragments of the Boeing 777 which was downed over Donetsk region while carrying out Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, of suspicion.
“Under the procedural guidance of Artemivsk Prosecutor’s Office, a twenty-six-year-old resident of Toretsk, who was a member of illegal armed groups in the so-called DPR, was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 260 (creation of unlawful paramilitary or armed formations and participation in their operations) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” the press service of the Prosecutor’s Office of Donetsk region said.
According to a version of the investigation, for reasons of greed the man joined the terrorists and was recruited to the so-called people’s volunteer army in Yenakiyeve in August 2014.
The law enforcers found evidence that the mercenary guarded a checkpoint near the village of Hrabove in Shakhtarsky district, Donetsk region, where he checked cars and documents of drivers and passengers, as well as passed his commanders information about location and movement of military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“In addition, the law breaker guarded the crash scene of the Boeing 777 passenger plane, which was on Malaysian Airlines flight МН17, on board of which there were 298 passengers and crew members none of whom survived. He searched for valuable personal belongings of the victims in the debris of the plane, passed them to his commanders and received a reward of 500 to 1,500 rubles,” reads the statement.
The prosecutor’s office has filed to court a motion to detain the suspect.
As reported, on January 10, 2020, a citizen of Ukraine, born in 1994, who participated in activities of terrorists in the occupied territory of Donetsk region, was detained.
“Illegal activities of the detained former mercenary have been confirmed by the pictures of him wearing military uniform with a gun posing against the background of the jetliner debris, which was posted on his social media account,” the law enforcers said.
As reported, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 traveling from Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) was downed over Donbas on July 17, 2014. None of the 298 people on board survived the crash.
The investigation into the crash is being handled by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprised of representatives of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and Malaysia.
