Trial of men accused in downing of MH17 to begin in Amsterdam

FILE PHOTO: A protest sign stands in front of a row of chairs as family members of victims of the MH17 crash lined up empty chairs for each seat on the plane during a protest outside the Russian Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands March 8, 2020. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The first hearing in the trial of four fugitive suspects in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was set to start in Amsterdam on Monday, more than five years after the plane was downed in Ukraine.

Prosecutors say the suspects, three Russians and a Ukrainian, helped arrange the Russian missile system used to shoot down MH17, a civilian aircraft. The suspects are believed to be in Russia and are not expected to attend.