Suspect MH17: “Feel indirectly responsible, but did not fire” | NOW

Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, states in a three-hour interview with a Ukrainian journalist that he feels indirectly responsible for the downing of flight MH17. It is the first time that the prime suspect in the MH17 trial has made such a statement.

The man nuances this immediately by saying what he has been repeating for years: that not the separatists, but Ukrainian forces have taken flight.

He claims to be indirectly responsible for his part of the battle in the area. The interview is special, because Girkin has never discussed his role so deeply before. He also says he feels bad about what happened.

The man is not very loose about the MH17 process. He does mention that he does not recognize the authority of all courts “except my home country”. When asked if the man will come to The Hague, he says: “Everything is possible, even that a brick falls on my head is possible.”

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has, among other things, evidence in the form of intercepted telephone conversations against Girkin. He was the one who asked for anti-tank artillery several times. In the interview, he reports that a buk missile was on the way, but that it never reached them.

Justice confirms to NU.nl that they are viewing the interview and that it is being added to the file. Whether it will eventually play a role in the process cannot be said yet.

Girkin is ‘big player’

Girkin is a big player for Russia. Not much is known about his past, only that he fought in Bosnia and Chechnya. At some point in his career, the man also worked for the FSB intelligence agency under the name Igor Strelkov, which translates as ‘shooter’.

Eventually, the man ended up in Donetsk, where he became a self-proclaimed defense minister of the rebel republic. He is therefore in the area on the day that MH17 is brought down.

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