MoD: MH17 tragedy made Netherlands realise scale of Russian aggression
Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans said that the MH17 tragedy made his country realise the scale of Russian aggression, as the Netherlands also became a country with a large number of victims due to the Kremlin's actions.
He said this in an exclusive commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague before the commemoration of the victims of flight MH17 on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy.
"This is a very emotional day, because exactly ten years ago, the MH17 tragedy happened. It made the Netherlands also realise the impact and consequences of Russian aggression, because of course what is happening in Ukraine is terrible, with thousands and thousands of deaths. But after Ukraine, the Netherlands also became a country with a large number of victims due to Russian aggression," he said.
He also stressed that 298 innocent people, including 196 Dutch citizens, died as a result of the downing of flight MH17.
"Almost 200 Dutch people died. And their families and friends have to live with this pain every day. And we as a country also still live with this pain every day. And this is what we are commemorating today. This is a very important day, first of all for the families and friends of the victims, but also for the Netherlands," the minister said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, today, 17 July, on the tenth anniversary of the MH17 tragedy, the Netherlands commemorates the victims of flight MH17, which was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and was shot down by the Russian armed forces over the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region.
The relatives of the victims will read out the names of their loved ones, and all those present will pay tribute to them with a wreath-laying ceremony and a minute of silence.
The event will be attended by King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the Netherlands, and representatives of other governments and organisations, including Australia and Ukraine.
The International Investigation Team concluded that the plane was shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft missile system belonging to the 53rd Air Defence Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.
A court in the Netherlands found guilty in the case of the downing of flight MH17 former FSB officer and former 'Minister of Defence of the 'DPR' Igor Girkin (Strelkov), GRU General of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, head of the 'GRU of the DPR' Sergey Dubinsky and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko.