MOSCOW
Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu has blamed Ukraine for the suspected shooting down of flight MH17 which crashed while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
"The crash would have never happened if Ukraine had resolved its internal issues without bloodshed," said Shoigu on Wednesday during a meeting with his Malaysian counterpart, Hishammuddin Hussein, in Moscow.
Shoigu pledged every means of assistance to investigate the causes of the deadly crash adding that investigations should be conducted objectively and independently.
The results of the probe should be released to the international community, said Shoigu.
MH17 crashed on July 17 close to Ukraine’s tense border with Russia, killing all 298 people – 283 passengers and 15 crewmembers – on board, including 193 Dutch citizens.
Earlier, a preliminary report by the Dutch authorities indicated that the aircraft was penetrated from outside by a large number of high-energy objects, Malaysia’s transport minister announced.
Neither of the parties involved in armed disturbances in the area – Ukraine or pro-Russian rebels – have come forward to claim responsibility for the suspected attack.
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