Victims' families want judges to clarify Russian role in MH17 downing

Relatives of the 298 people who died when Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in 2014 hope that judges issuing a verdict in a Dutch murder trial on Thursday will highlight what they see as Russia's overarching role in the incident. Prosecutors have demanded life sentences for three Russians and one Ukrainian accused of suppling the missile system that Russian-backed separatists used to fire a rocket at the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Moscow has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly dismissed the findings of investigators that the missile launcher used in the attack came from a Russian military base in Kursk and that Russia was backing rebels in Ukraine fighting government forces. The verdict has gained greater significance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, which has seen the Netherlands supply weapons to Kyiv, further straining already difficult diplomatic relations. It could be the first time a court rules on Russia's role in fighting in Ukraine since its invasion of Crimea in 2014. If it does implicate Russia, that could impact other cases, including one in the United Nation's top court, the International Court of Justice, a legal expert said. Kyiv launched a case accusing Moscow of financing terrorism in 2017 over its alleged support for separatist groups in Ukraine. None of the four suspects, who prosecutors say arranged for the missile launcher to be transported to eastern Ukraine, are in custody and only one is participating in the proceedings.<br/>