In the prisoner exchange with the separatists, Ukraine refused to surrender a witness in the case of the downed MH17 Boeing aircraft
Ukraine refused to transfer a key witness to the separatists of Luhansk (LPR) and Donetsk (LPR) People’s Republics as part of a prisoner exchange. The witness is part of an ongoing investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in the skies over the Donbas in the summer of 2014.
"LPR/DPR asked for a person who is actually listed as a witness in the case on the shooting down of the Malaysian Boeing. Of course, we did not give away this man. He remains here. We could not have done otherwise under any circumstances," the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Hrytsak stated in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
The Boeing 777 belonging to Malaysia Airlines was en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia when it was shot down by a Russian Buk missile in the skies over the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board were killed.
In April 2016, police detained a man suspected of trying to assassinate the chief expert in the case of the Boeing crash.