Netherlands ask Russia to help in finding and interrogating militant Tsemakh in case of downed Boeing

The Dutch authorities have asked the Russian prosecutor's office to assist in the search for Vladimir Tsemakh, whom the Dutch authorities wanted to interrogate in the case of crash of the Malaysian Boeing in Donbass in July 2014. This was stated by Ambassador Rob Swartball, - Interfax reports.

"Recently there was an exchange (of the persons held – ed.) between Russia and Ukraine, and the Dutch government has now turned to the Russian prosecutor's office for help to find this person, talk to him and collect possible information from him", - Swartball said.

It was earlier reported that former militant of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" Vladimir Tsemakh, transferred by the Ukrainian party to Russia as part of the exchange of the persons held, returned home to the occupied territories.

Flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with flight MH17, the Malaysian Boeing was shot down on July 17, 2014 near Donetsk in the armed conflict zone in Donbass. 298 people were onboard, all of them died. Tsemakh lived in the city of Snizhne, he became the air defense commander there at the beginning of the armed conflict in Donbass in 2014. The Netherlands transferred Tsemach to arguido in the case of this crime.

The Netherlands objected to the transfer of Tsemakh to Russia. "The government deeply regrets that Tsemakh has become part of this exchange under pressure from the Russian Federation, what means that he is currently in Russia", - Foreign Minister Stef Blok wrote to the parliament.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Dutch investigators had already questioned Tsemakh before the Ukrainian authorities transferred him to Russia.