Politics and Money

[Elroy Jetson]

An independent investigation has identified a high-ranking Russian military officer Oleg Vladimirovich Ivannikov giving the orders to shoot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014. Ivannikov had used the code names 'Andrey Ivanovich' and 'Orion' in a series of text messages.

"Australia and the Netherlands have requested Russia to enter into negotiations, to open up a dialogue about it's conduct and to seek reparations."



"This evening Australia and the Netherlands notified the Russian Federation that we hold it responsible for its role in the downing. We have requested negotiations to open dialogue around the circumstances leading to the tragic loss of innocent lives," the statement said.

"The Russian Federation must be held to account for its conduct in the downing of MH17 over eastern Ukraine, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 298 passengers and crew, including 38 people who called Australia home.

"Holding the Russian Federation responsible under international law is separate, but complementary to, the prosecution of the individual suspects, which is taking place under the Dutch national system."

The Dutch chief prosecutor of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which includes Australian officers, told the world that the missile that downed MH17 was fired by the 53rd anti-aircraft brigade of the Russian Army.


Australian Federal Police Commander Jennifer Hurst pointed to details about the missile that revealed its origins, including the year of production and a unique identification number.