Ukraine: Daily Briefing – May 24, 2018, 5 PM Kyiv time

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported at 12:30 PM Kyiv time that in the last 24 hours, no Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action. In the last 24 hours, Russian-terrorist forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on the Luhansk and Donetsk sectors of the front 38 times in total, including at least 9 times with heavy weapons – mortars and tanks.

For a report from CBC News on today’s briefing by the Joint Investigation Team, please click on image above

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported, “A Dutch-led international criminal investigation has concluded that the Buk missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014 came from Russia’s 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade.

           The Joint Investigative Team (JIT), comprising authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, made the announcement at a press conference on May 24 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

          MH17 was shot down over the conflict zone in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

          The JIT ‘has come to the conclusion that the Buk-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from the 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia,’ top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen told reporters. ‘The 53rd Brigade is part of Russia’s armed forces.’ […]

          Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte decided to shorten his visit to India by a day and join cabinet talks on May 25 about the new findings, Dutch news agency ANP reported.”

The report from the JIT can be found here: Update in criminal investigation MH-17

Ukraine’s Presidential Administration reported, “President Petro Poroshenko noted that the Joint group investigating the MH17 tragedy had presented additional evidence that Russia had supplied the anti-aircraft complex, which shot down the MH17 aircraft.

          ‘Due to concerted actions of the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Netherlands, with facilitation of our partners from several other countries, we managed to identify the ‘home address’ of the Buk-murderer: the 53rd anti-aircraft missile crew of the Russian armed forces,’ the Head of State noted. […]

        ‘There is every reason to expect that in the near future the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office will be able to file a prosecution against the individuals involved in shooting down the plane,’ the President added.

        Petro Poroshenko emphasized that Ukraine, in turn, would do everything possible for the actions of Russia, as of the state supporting terrorism, to be properly assessed in the UN International Court of Justice in the framework of the proceedings initiated by the Ukrainian party at the beginning of the last year.

‘Evil will be punished and justice will be restored,’ the President said.”