ANKARA – Australia today imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on three people involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
In a statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia is working closely with the Netherlands and European Union to coordinate sanctions on those who were convicted by the district court in The Hague in November for their contribution to the “downing of Flight MH17”.
“Today’s sanctions target Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko, who were both found guilty by the district court of The Hague.
“The third convicted perpetrator, Igor Girkin, was sanctioned by Australia in 2014 for supporting separatist activity in eastern Ukraine,” said Wong.
Canberra also sanctioned Sergey Muchkaev, a colonel with the Russian Armed Forces who, in July 2014, was the commander of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which, according to the statement, supplied the Buk-TELAR that downed Flight MH17.
MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down above eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. All 298 on board were killed, including 196 Dutch citizens.
In 2022, a court in the Netherlands awarded life sentences to three people including Russians Sergey Dubinskiy and Igor Girkin, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, who were found guilty of causing the crash, while another Russian, Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted on all charges.
However, Moscow had rejected the verdict, calling it a “scandalous” decision by a Dutch court announced under unprecedented pressure, and denied any involvement in the downing of the jet. – Bernama-Anadolu Agency, June 24, 2023
