MH17 convict Igor Girkin arrested in Russia

Igor Girkin, one of three men convicted for the downing of flight MH17, was arrested in Russia, his wife reported in Telegram. The arrest and the reason behind it haven’t been reported by the Russian authorities.

According to RTL Nieuws, Girkin was arrested for extremism. The former intelligence agent for the FSB has been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over how the Russian invasion of Ukraine was going.

Girkin was arrested at his home in Moscow, his wife reported. “Around 11:30 a.m., members of the investigative committee came to our house,” she wrote, according to NOS. “I wasn’t there, but the janitor said he was taken by the arms in an unknown direction.” She said she has had no contact with him and has no idea about his whereabouts.

In November last year, the court in The Hague sentenced Girkin, Sergey Dubinsky, and Leonid Chartchenkoto to life in prison for their role in downing flight MH17. The court considered it proven that they played critical roles in delivering the BUK missile system that shot down the passenger plane and removing it from the scene afterward.

The Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014, killing all 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch people.