Netherlands receive Buk missile from Georgia to investigate MH17 disaster
The Dutch military received a Buk anti-aircraft missile and will use it in the investigation of the flight MH17 disaster, reports RTL Nieuws.
According to the television channel, on February 21st of this year, members of the Dutch Military Intelligence Service and the Security Service flew to Georgia on a Hercules cargo aircraft that belongs to the Ministry of Defense.
The Buk missile was handed over to them in Georgia. The next day the plane returned, and the missile was sent to the military air base in Gilze-Rijen.
A representative of the Dutch prosecutor’s office confirmed this information. According to him, the Netherlands appealed to Georgia for help, as the Netherlands Criminal Institute advised that as much information as possible be collected.
“For this reason, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has contacted various countries, including Finland, Ukraine and Georgia. In accordance with UN Resolution 2166, Georgia provided the required legal assistance, and in early 2017 the Buk missile became available for criminal investigation,” he said.
The TV channel, referring to its own sources, also said that the Buk missile is available to the Ministry of Defense, which wants to learn about its effectiveness.
The Ministry of Defense, in particular, is studying how much of a threat the missile poses to the new fighter of the JSF program (single strike fighter). In harmony with this program, the newest F-35 fighter, the 5th generation, was developed.
The Dutch news agency NOS noted that this is not the first Buk missile used by the Netherlands to investigate the MH17 disaster. Earlier tests were conducted in Finland, where the explosive power of the missile was tested.
The crash of the Boeing-777, flight MH17, claimed the lives of 283 passengers and 15 crew members, including 80 children. Most of the victims were citizens of the Netherlands, Malaysia and Australia.
The international team investigating the plane crash came to the conclusion that the airliner was shot down by a missile launched from the Buk air defense system and was delivered from the territory of Russia.
Earlier it was reported that 100 people suspected of involvement in the crash of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft have been identified, and they will be named in 2018.