All news

Russian defense firm explains EU sanctions by alleged role in Malaysian airliner crash

"In our view, the relationship between the sanctions imposed by the European Union against the company and the crash of the Malaysian Boeing airliner in July over Ukraine is obvious", Company CEO said

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. The European Union imposed sanctions against Russia’s air defense system manufacturer Almaz-Antey for its alleged role in the crash of a Malaysian airliner in east Ukraine last year, Company CEO Yan Novikov said on Tuesday.

"In our view, the relationship between the sanctions imposed by the European Union against the company and the crash of the Malaysian Boeing airliner in July over Ukraine is obvious. We consider these actions unfair and damaging for the company," Novikov said.

Almaz-Antey turned to the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union on May 19 with a request to provide grounds, on which the EU had imposed sanctions against the company. Almaz-Antey simultaneously filed a lawsuit to the General Court of the European Union.

"We have carried out detailed work for analyzing all available information related to the airliner crash. Today we’ll present the proofs of the company’s complete non-involvement in the crash of the Malaysian Boeing airliner," the company’s CEO said.

Almaz-Antey integrates the developers and producers of the Buk antiaircraft missile system, with which the Malaysian airliner was allegedly downed, the company head said.

"Our specialists were invited as experts to the international commission for investigation of the causes for the Boeing crash. The company also has the competences in the organization of air traffic control," Novikov said.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing-777 passenger airliner on a flight from the Dutch city of Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur crashed in the area of hostilities between local militias and Ukrainian governmental troops in east Ukraine’s Donetsk region in July last year. All 298 people aboard the airliner died in the air crash.

Most of the air crash’s victims were Dutch nationals.