Relatives of the victims began to testify during the trial in the Netherlands.

On Monday, the editor in chief of the popular Russian radio Echo of Moscow, Mr. Venediktov, that Kremlin rejected the request of the Dutch court to help in arranging hearings of Russians involved in shot down.

Had Moscow cooperate, Dutch judges would conduct hearings of Russian citizens as witnesses. Russian Justice Ministry rejected Dutch  Judge Frederick Steinhaus's request, Mr. Venediktov said.

The Kremlin-controlled energy firms own Echo of Moscow radio.


"They know, they are lying"

On September 6, at the trial, the relatives of the victims of the jet-shot-down crash started to testify. We know they are lying, and they know that we know they are lying, stated Ria van der Steen, the first of dozens of relatives who will have the opportunity to speak at the trial or submit a written statement to the panel in the coming three weeks.

Ms. Van der Steen lost her father and stepmother in the tragedy in the skies over Donbas in July 2014.

How would those who committed this crime feel in our place? If they were the victim of a political nightmare in which their country was not even involved? How would Putin and his corrupt regime feel?, asked Ms. Vanessa Rizk, who lost her parents in a catastrophe.

Ninety percent of the victims' families want to appear before the court.


Two more years of the trial

The court informed that it will issue the verdict by the end of 2022.

According to the International Investigation Team, which studied the circumstances of the death of Flight MH17, a missile launched from territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists shot down the plane. In May 2018, the Team provided evidence that a Buk launcher belonging to the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade stationed in Kursk launched the missile.

All 298 passengers and crew members aboard the Boeing died.

Most of them were Dutch, Malaysians, and Australian nationals. The liner flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.