Separatists reportedly deploy 10 armored vehicles to MH17 crash site for memorial service tomorrow

Pro-Russian separatists from eastern Ukraine have sent 10 armored vehicles to the MH17 crash site to take part in a memorial event dedicated to the 298 crash victims. Exactly a year ago tomorrow, the passenger flight was struck by a missile and crashed near Donetsk in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine.

According to the news agency Radio Freedom, there will be a church service, followed by a religious procession, a public prayer, and a laying of flowers. Also scheduled is a “themed event” titled “The Broken Thread of Fate.”

According to some reports, Alexander Zakharchenko, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, is expected to attend the memorial service. 

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed on July 17, 2014, in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. All 298 people onboard were killed.

In June 2015, Russian federal investigators named Ukrainian citizen and aviation mechanic Evgeniy Agapov as their primary witness in the MH17 crash case. He had allegedly seen a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter jet depart for a combat mission on the day of the crash. According to Agapov, the jet returned after its ammunition had been emptied.

The final results of the Dutch-led investigation into the crash have not yet been disclosed, but earlier media reports claimed that missile fragments matching Russian-made Buk M1-2 warheads were found at the crash site. The Russian Ministry of Defense and Russia’s air-defense systems manufacturer Almaz-Antei have refuted these claims.