MH17 investigators want to speak to Ukrainian prisoner

Published: September 03, 2019 16:58:22 | Updated: September 04, 2019 17:10:33

In this July 17, 2014 file photo, people walk among the debris at the crash site of a passenger plane near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine. Prosecutors investigating the downing five years ago of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine want to speak to a man being held by Ukrainian authorities, calling him a “person of interest” in their probe. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky, File)

Dutch prosecutors investigating the downing five years ago of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine want to speak to a man being held by Ukrainian authorities, calling him a “person of interest” in their probe, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The fate of Volodymyr Tsemakh could be a factor in the stalled prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine as Dutch prosecutors want him to remain in Ukraine, reports AP.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Tsemakh is on the list of prisoners that Moscow wants exchanged in return for freeing prisoners including 24 sailors captured off Crimea in November.