MH17 crash report: How the Russian media reacted

Russia’s state press rallied behind the Kremlin’s deny-all approach

A news conference by Russian missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey challenged the Dutch Safety Board's findings (Reuters)

Famous for toeing the party line, Russia’s state media rallied behind the Kremlin’s deny-all approach to the MH17 report.

Media outlets and pro-Kremlin organs were supportive of the findings of Russian anti-aircraft missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey, after the company claimed pro-Russia separatists were not responsible for the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine.

In line with the narrative of the conference, the view taken by Russian state media echoed the Kremlin’s official position, which renounces any blame for the flight which crashed last July. An “expert” on Russian tabloid LifeNews said: “If the Netherlands does not take into account data found by Russia, then the investigation [into flight MH17] is doomed.”

LifeNews, owned by father-and-son team Aram and Ashot Gabrelyanov – known for their close ties the Kremlin – published an article following the release of the Dutch report on the crash, in which it listed leading western outlets and criticised it for its bias against Russia.

State-owned English-language news channel Russia Today has reiterated this narrative with reports that the country has appealed to the UN’s aviation agency to have the arms manufacturer’s findings included in the Dutch experts’ report.

The missile came from a “Kiev-controlled area”, an RT report said, a position intimated at the Almaz-Antey conference. “Check out live updates on the Almaz-Antey report,” the website urged.