One of the four key suspects in the downing of the Malaysian Boeing MH17 over Donbas, Leonid Kharchenko, has been arrested. It is reported that this was done by his own – the so-called 'DPR authorities'.
According to the BBC, Kharchenko was arrested back in March this year near his home in the temporarily occupied territory. The case is not related to the downing of the plane but is a minor one – illegal possession of weapons and participation in an unauthorized search, writes the publication INKORR.
It is noted that the reason for Kharchenko's detention is 'inflated', since the victims have no claims regarding the searches. The allegedly illegal weapon is a pistol that was issued in 2019 by the self-proclaimed 'Ministry of State Security'. The suspect received it from the occupiers for personal protection due to the MH17 case.
What is known about Kharchenko?
He holds Ukrainian citizenship. He is 47 years old, born and raised in Donetsk region. In 2014, Kharchenko carried the callsign 'Krot' and was the commander of one of the 'reconnaissance units of the GRU' in ORDLO. It is known that he has a technical education.
Before the start of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, Kharchenko worked as an engineer. There is no information about Kharchenko's affiliation with the military structures of Russia or Ukraine.
Why was Kharchenko arrested?
The illegal authorities of the so-called 'DPR', as the BBC reports, want to isolate Kharchenko in this way. A former colleague of Kharchenko in a conversation with the BBC believes that this is being done to prevent the SBU special services from kidnapping Kharchenko.
He is currently being held in the detention center of the self-proclaimed 'Ministry of Justice of the DPR'
What role did Kharchenko play in the downing?
Leonid Kharchenko with the callsign 'Krot' has been formally charged by the Netherlands. The joint investigation team handling the case believes that Kharchenko was involved in the movement of the so-called 'DPR' missile system 'Buk', with which the plane was shot down.