According to investigators of the criminal case regarding the downing of Malaysian airliner in 2014, there are «confident indications» that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had personally approved the supply of the missile that downed the passenger airliner.
Additionally, investigators say that when the tragedy took place above the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic a person who was involved in attempts to prevent the restoration of Latvia’s independence was in charge there, according to TV3 programme Nekā personīga.
The person in question is a former high-ranking Riga OMON officer Vladimir Antjufejevs. He previously served as Minister of the Interior of Transnistria (1992-2011), which is another internationally unrecognised independent state. However, there is no chance of bringing him, Putin or other people involved in the crime to justice.
Additionally, according to the programme,
Latvia has not announced an international manhunt for Anjufejevs.
Nekā personīgi explains: in the beginning Riga OMON «together with with special services of the occupation regime’s Ministry of the Interior» carried out several dozen attacks on various state institutions, killed seven Lithuanian border guards, organised more than a dozen provocative explosions, and beat up hundreds of people. During the barricades period the blood of civilians was spilled in Lithuania and Latvia. Antjufejevs believes (video citation): «I am confident my whole life, my entire service passed with nothing to be ashamed of.»
Retired prosecutor Riga Aksenoka was one of the investigators who gathered evidence of the atrocities committed by OMON in order to bring to justice as many black berets as possible. Several OMON officers were interrogated. Their testimony served as important evidence. One of them was later identified, presumably by OMON, abducted, taken to the woods and shot.
In one interview given to Nekā personīga in 2019, Aksenoka said she left the Office of the Prosecution General of the Republic of Latvia in protest of the incorrect approach used in the investigation. Over the years criminal charges were presented to 74 OMON officers. Only 15 of them were brought to justice.
«Our boys in the Ministry of the Interior managed to bring back Parfjonovs, and we let him go. Several others were brought back as well. I think from Moldova. They were let go as well. Perhaps we should conclude we may be somewhat helpless here…» The state of Transnistria, formed in Moldova, was the place to which many of Riga’s OMON officers fled to.
According to information from Latvia’s Office of the Prosecutor General, during the coup in August 1991, it was Antjufejevs’ operatives that opened fire at the shuttle bus owned by the Writers’ House, killing its manager Raimonds Salmiņš.
Anjufejevs is believed by many to have had put together the so-called Transnistria Repressive Institutions System and its special services. For years he served as this unrecognised state’s Minister of the Interior. Moldovan investigative journalist Vladimirs Thoriks described the situation in Transnistria as North Korea in Eastern Europe.
He told the programme: «Anjufejevs Vladimirs… We know he fled from Latvia to Moldova and took charge of the separatist movement in Moldova’s eastern regions. Transnistria. For a dozen years Antjufejevs in Transnistria, which is de jure part of Moldova, was in charge of Transnistria’s KGB.
He was the main KGB head and chief political police officer in Transnistria.
He did it all. He was in charge of liquidating the opposition.»
Moldovan investigative journalist group RISE found people from Russian special services who recruited supporters in Moldova and attempted to influence parliamentary and presidential elections. Until 2014 Antjufejevs was one of the most influential players. For a short time before Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Antjufejevs had appeared in the territory that was held by Ukraine at the time. Later Antjufejevs made public statements about the assistance he had provided in the «occupation of Crimea». Several months later Antjufejevs was sent to bring order to Donbas.
In a video citation provided to TV3 by RISE, he said: «I am a vice-chairman of Donetsk People’s Republic Council of Ministers. My name is Antjufejevs Vladimirs Jurjavičs.»
Three months after the Ukrainian government commenced the so-called anti-terrorism operation against the separatists, Vladimirs Antjufejevs was appointed deputy prime minister of the Donetsk People’s republic. After a week in his post, Malaysian passenger aircraft was shot down over the territory is is believed to had been in charge of not far from Donetsk. 298 people died.
Antjufejevs denies any involvement with the catastrophe. (Video citation): «Neither I, nor any of my subordinates are operativs of FSB. Neither representatives of the Donetsk People’s Republic nor those of Russian armed forces shot that Boeing down.»
According to Nekā personīgi, Russia uses Transnistria to disrupt Moldova’s movement to become a member of the European Union, because the frozen conflict prevents an accurate reading of Moldova’s borders. At the start of the war there were concerns that Putin has plans for operations involving the Russian army stationed in Transnistria. In April 2022 there were multiple provocations that may have been done in order for Russia to swoop in and «bring order». Three men with grenade launchers fired at the building of Transnistria special service.
After all that happened journalists found out that before 2014 Anjufejevs had used a fake passport to travel to Ukraine and fly from Odessa to Moscow. According to journalists, he travelled in Ukraine using diplomatic transport. Moldovan journalists say: had Ukrainians neutralised him in time, it could have prevented what happened in Crimea and Donbas.
Vladimirs Thoriks: «Currently Antjufejevs is believed to be the informal head of Transnistria’s special service. And we have proof that Antjufejevs is in contact with Transnistria’s special services and the fifth department of the FSB, which is the curator for Moldova. We have «billings» of several heads of FSB. Among them is also Gen. Georgijs Grišajevs of fifth department of FSB. He had regular calls with Antjufejevs.»
Eight years ago it was reported in Latvia that former OMON officer Antjufejevs is an internationally wanted man. However, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General, Latvia no longer searches for him, as, according to this institution’s press-secretary, «no such request has been received from the prosecutor».
Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa Egnere believes Latvia needs to make sure people like Antjufejevs are put on all wanted lists.