24-6-2023 (CANBERRA) Australia has taken a significant step by imposing financial sanctions and travel bans on three individuals connected to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014, announced Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Saturday.
MH17 was tragically brought down by a Russian BUK missile system while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, claiming the lives of all 298 passengers and crew members onboard. Among the victims were 196 Dutch citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents.
Last November, a Dutch court convicted two former Russian intelligence agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader in absentia for their involvement in the incident, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
Wong disclosed that the recently announced sanctions specifically target Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko, two individuals convicted by the Dutch court last year.
The third individual subjected to the sanctions is Sergey Muchkaev, a colonel with the Russian Armed Forces who commanded the brigade responsible for supplying the missile system that downed the plane, according to Wong.
She further mentioned that Australia had already imposed sanctions on Igor Girkin, another individual convicted in connection with the MH17 incident, due to his involvement in supporting separatism in eastern Ukraine during 2014.
“These sanctions reflect the ongoing commitment of the Australian Government to hold accountable those responsible for the downing of Flight MH17,” stated Wong in an official statement. “Australia remains resolute in our pursuit of truth, justice, and accountability for the victims of the MH17 tragedy.”
In February, Australia acknowledged the decision made by international prosecutors to suspend their investigation into MH17 after finding “strong indications” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved the use of the missile system. However, the prosecutors stated that the evidence linking Putin and other Russian officials to the incident was not conclusive enough to secure a criminal conviction.
