RTL Nieuws / YouTube

The national public Prosecutor’s office indicted the four defendants in the case about the collapse of the Malaysian Boeing flight MH17 in Ukraine and called them for investigation

RTL Nieuws / YouTube

In Donetsk, arrested Leonid Kharchenko – a key defendant in the case about the crash of the Malaysian Boeing MH17, shot down by a missile in the sky of Donbass in 2014. He is one of four accused in the case, which is now considered by the court in the Netherlands in the framework of the international investigation.

Leonid Kharchenko was taken into custody back in March. Information on this was received by “Russian service BBC”.

In 2014, Melanie wore the nickname “the Mole” and was the commander of one of the intelligence GRU is the self-proclaimed Donetsk national Republic (DND). In the Netherlands, Harchenko filed formal charges of involvement in the crash “Boeing”, the trial began on March 9 of this year.

And already on March 11 Kharchenko, was arrested near his home in Donetsk authorities DND and arrested, but quite another criminal case, said a source involved in military command of the DNI in 2014-2015, served with Kharchenko and living in Donetsk.

May 8 arrest of former military intelligence DND was extended for a further two months. Now according to sources the BBC, he is kept in remand prison of the Ministry of justice and the DNI, which is located in Donetsk in the house on the street N4 Kobozeva.

Colleagues Kharchenko believe that the former scout I want to insulate under false pretenses. “The charges are ridiculous – allegedly participated in an illegal search in 2014 and illegal storage of the weapon, – has told a source familiar with the case of the arrested Kharchenko. – On the first point, victims have no complaints to him. The second – this gun in 2019 issued in the Ministry of state security to ensure personal safety in the case of MH17”.

Colleague Kharchenko said that he was arrested, to exclude the kidnapping of the defendant in the special services of Ukraine.

Last summer, Ukrainian forces managed to take out Kiev in the former rocketeer DNR Vladimir Tzemach, which is also considered an important participant in the history of the crash of the Boeing MH17.

In September 2019 Tzemach was sent to Moscow in the framework of the exchange of detained citizens between Ukraine and Russia. He now lives in the territory controlled by the DNI.

The Ukrainian authorities announced Kharchenko wanted in July 2015. Him in absentia charged with creating a terrorist group. And in 2019, against Kharchenko was prosecuted on suspicion of involvement in the crash “Boeing” MH17.

Leonid Kharchenko, 47 years old, he was born and raised in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. It is known that he has a College education. Before the outbreak of hostilities in the East of Ukraine Kharchenko worked as an engineer in the city of Konstantinovka. Membership information about Kharchenko military structures of Russia or Ukraine.

Sam Kharchenko in 2015 were told that prior to the conflict in the Donbass no military experience, had not. The supporters of the NPT Kharchenko joined in April 2014 – during the battle for Slavyansk.

Presumably, in the summer of 2014 Kharchenko became a special forces officer military intelligence DNI, took the call “Mole” and began working under retired Colonel of the GRU of the Russian defense Ministry Sergey Dubinsky.

According to Kharchenko, he took part in most major fighting in the East of Ukraine in 2014-2015. “Make the city the first go. Sweep, capture, – Kharchenko has described his work in an interview with Donetsk reporters Icorpus. – Engaged in the destruction of the checkpoints, and we have already come part of the battle”.

It was reported that in the spring of 2015 Kharchenko should have been given the highest award DNR – star Hero.

The last public appearance Kharchenko was in April of 2015 – then he gave an interview to journalists, posing as the commander of the second division of the GRU DND. Data on what happened with the Mole after 2015, a long time was not.

As explained sources of the BBC, at the end of 2015 Kharchenko left the territory of the DNI, he moved to Russia and settled in Rostov-on-don. But a year later he returned to the ranks of the armed forces of the DNI. In 2018 Kharchenko retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and remained in Donetsk.

The joint investigation team (JIT), leading the official international investigation into the crash of MH17, says that Kharchenko participated in the movement for DND anti-aircraft missile launcher “Buk”, which was shot down “Boeing”.

Published by the security Service of Ukraine records of telephone conversations of supporters of the NPT 17 Jul 2014 the man with the Callsign “Mole” suggests other fighter the way to the location of the “Buck”.
According to the version of the Dutch Prosecutor’s office, Melanie was also able to coordinate the movement Buka directly to the site of the missile launch and the subsequent evacuation of the complex in Russia.

In February 2020, the public Prosecutor’s office filed formal charges of involvement in the MH17 crash Kharchenko and three others: supervisor Kharchenko at GRU DNI Sergey Dubinsky Callsign “Gloomy”, another officer of the GRU DND Oleg Pulatova, and former defense Minister DNR and retired FSB Colonel Igor Girkin (Strelkov). According to investigators, they all in varying degrees responsible for the transportation of “Buk” on the territory of Donbass and gave the crew SAM point data where possible to carry out launching missiles at air targets.

Kharchenko is the only accused who is a citizen of Ukraine. Girkin, Dubinsky and Pulatov – citizens of Russia, previously served in special units of the FSB, GRU and VDV.

All the accused are in the international wanted list. Girkin and Dubinsky charges in the address deny Pulatov and Kharchenko reviews on this subject were not given.

Trial should resume in June this year. The court held under the laws of the Netherlands, since the majority of the 298 people aboard the plane were citizens of this country. An international investigation team came to the conclusion that “Boeing” was shot down by a missile “earth-air”, released from anti-aircraft missile complex “Buk” near the settlement of Snow. The investigation team also believe that the Buk was brought to Eastern Ukraine from Russia.

Moscow denies any involvement in the crash MN17. Over the years, she has advanced various versions of this, trying to shift the blame for the fall of the airliner by the Ukrainian military. The defense Ministry, in particular, said that the rocket plane was released from the village, controlled by Ukrainian troops.

At the end of April it became known the possible name of another important person involved in the case about the crash “Boeing”. The materials JIT this man passed under the pseudonym of “Vladimir”. According to investigators, it was he who authorized all the supplies to Pro-Russian rebels of heavy military equipment through the Russian-Ukrainian border.

“Vladimir Ivanovich” identified the voice as Deputy head of the FSB border service, Colonel-General Andrei Burlaka.

As part of the investigation was a question about what the role of other representatives of the Russian leadership in the incident. Dutch investigators released several phone calls between Igor Girkin and Russian officials – presumably the head of the Crimea Sergey Aksenov and the Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov. In conversations it was about the help from Russia. In an interview with Aksyonov Girkin listed, you need anti-tank artillery, tanks and air defense are already ready by specialists, as their “time to cook we will not have, anymore.” He was told that help will come.

And Surkov, a week before the MH17 disaster assured the Prime Minister DND Alexander Beard that “spoke to older colleagues, older does not happen” on military assistance to the militia and hinted at some “tipping action.”

In mid-November 2019 international investigation team published telephone intercepts, from which it follows that Russia completely controlled the process of invasion the Pro-Russian armed formations on the territory of Ukraine, and the weapons of the militia were sent through the channels of FSB and GRU. Was promulgated and the testimony of the witness, which showed that next to “Buck”, which fired a missile at the airliner, were employees of the FSB.