Dutch prosecutors accused Russia on Tuesday of trying to sabotage the investigation into the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine in 2014, saying this cast "a dark shadow" over the impending trial of four suspects in the crash.
Pretrial hearings began in Amsterdam on Monday. Prosecutors say the defendants, three Russians and a Ukrainian, helped arrange the Russian missile system used to shoot down MH17, a civilian aircraft, killing all 298 people on board. Most of the passengers on board the flight were Dutch nationals.
"The sum of all the facts casts a dark shadow over this investigation because there is strong indicative evidence that Russian government is keen to thwart the investigation," prosecutor Thijs Berger said at the second preliminary hearing.