Dutch Take Over Lead of Malaysia Airlines Crash Investigation in Ukraine
The refrigerated train carrying the remains of those killed aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 has reached the government-controlled city of Kharkiv, finishing the first part of a journey out of the conflict zone where they have been stuck for days. WSJ’s Margaret Coker reports. (Photo: Getty Images)
The Netherlands said Tuesday it would take the lead in the investigation of the crash of
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Flight 17, though the country’s air accident investigators still hadn’t arrived at the site in rebel-held territory as fighting in the region raged on.
Investigators have been hampered for days in their efforts to get to the crash site because of mistrust between the Kyiv government and rebels and fighting in other parts of eastern Ukraine, though there have been signs of progress with separatists handing over the black boxes to Malaysian officials and the bodies finally moving out of the conflict zone on Tuesday.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, seen here during a news conference in The Hague, on Sunday, said the Netherlands would take the lead in the probe of the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
AFP/Getty Images
Interactives
Dutch Prime Minister
said the Netherlands will take the lead in the probe and stressed the next priority will be to start the investigation into what caused the downing of the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that killed all 298 people aboard. (Follow the latest updates on the Malaysia Airlines crash in Ukraine.)
The Netherlands had the most citizens on the flight and has also taken the lead in the forensics efforts. Ukraine, under international rules, has the right to lead the investigation but can pass responsibility to another organization.
Alexander Borodai, the Moscow public-relations executive who has become the leader of Donetsk’s self-proclaimed pro-Russia rebel state, handed over the black boxes to Malaysian officials. Malaysia said the recorders appear to be in good condition and its officials will hold on to them until the international investigation team is formalized.
“At that time, we will pass the black boxes to the international investigation team for further analysis,” Malaysia Prime Minister
said in a statement.
Mr. Borodai also declared a unilateral cease-fire around the crash site and said he would allow Dutch security officials or other armed foreign guards—just not Ukrainian authorities—to accompany international crash investigators.
The Dutch Safety Board hopes to conclude the agreement to take over the probe tomorrow, but investigators had not yet arrived at the site because of security concerns, a spokeswoman for the Dutch Safety Board said Tuesday. Ukrainian forces have continued to press attacks in recent days against the pro-Russia rebels.
The army is tightening its control around the easternmost regional capital of Luhansk, held by insurgents since April, spokesman Col.
Andriy Lysenko
said at a briefing in Kyiv. Ukrainian forces now have the city of around 400,000 inhabitants almost completely encircled, according to a map presented at the briefing.
Ukraine’s army is also moving to cut off the town of Lysychansk in the neighboring Donetsk region, Col. Lysenko said. Lysychansk is the base of
Alexei Mozgovoi,
a leading insurgent commander.
Col. Lysenko said clashes took place across the region Monday and overnight. In one incident, the separatists used a minibus packed with explosives to attack an army checkpoint, killing three soldiers, he said. Col. Lysenko said he couldn’t confirm or deny reports that the vehicle was exploded by a suicide bomber.
Rebels confirmed widespread fighting.
Col. Lysenko said Ukrainian forces, including border posts, came under attack from mortars and multiple-rocket launchers from the Russian side of the border. Border guards found traces that around 14 “Grad” multiple rocket-launchers entered Ukraine from Russia and fired on Ukrainian positions, he said. Russia has denied providing weapons to the rebels or allowing militants to shoot from the Russian side of the border.
President
blamed Russia for arming the rebels with military equipment, including antiaircraft weapons, and said President
had a “direct responsibility” to compel the separatists to cooperate.
Russia has laid out its version of events, suggesting that a Ukrainian fighter jet could have downed the plane but stopping short of assigning blame. The details offered by the Russian Ministry of Defense ran counter to widespread accusations by officials in Ukraine and the West that the separatists in Donetsk shot down the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile.
The next phase of the probe will likely begin with air-accident investigators attempting to map the debris field, even though some of the plane’s remnants were moved while the site remained unsecured. They will scour the site for missile debris.
Write to Anton Troianovski at anton.troianovski@wsj.com, James Marson at james.marson@wsj.com and Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com