Russia Rejects Dutch Court Sentences Regarding The Crash Of Malaysia Airlines MH17

Investigations at the crash site of MH17. (Wikimedia Commons/Ministerie van Defensie)

JAKARTA - Russia on Thursday rejected what it called a'scash' decision, regarding the verdict against two of its citizens in the Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash, saying the process was not implicit.

The judge sentenced three men on charges of murder for their role in the 2014 Malaysia Airlines shooting of the MH17 flight over Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew, by imposing life imprisonment in absence.

The three are former Russian intelligence agents Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy, as well as Ukrainian separatist leader Leonid Kharchenko.

A Dutch court also said Russia had "complete control" over separatist forces in eastern Ukraine when the plane was shot down.

They were sentenced to life in prison. They were even ordered to pay more than 16 million euros in compensation to the victims.

Even though the punishment is maximum, it still seems like they are not playing. The three men are still at large and it is still unclear whether they will serve their sentences or not.

Regarding the verdict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the court was under unprecedented pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and media to impose politically motivated results.

"The trial in the Netherlands has every opportunity to be one of the most embarrassing in the history of legal proceedings," the ministry said in a statement.

Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the crash of the civilian aviation jet.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said prosecutors had ignored all the evidence said, suggesting that the missile could have been launched by Ukrainian troops from the Kyiv-controlled territory.

"We deeply regret that the District Court in The Hague ignores the principle of impartial justice for the sake of the current political situation," the ministry said.