The judge presiding over the case of the downed MH17 has allowed the defense of one of the four accused, Oleg Pulatov, to study the case materials in order to prepare their position for a hearing scheduled for June 8, and granted representatives of relatives for deceased MH17 passengers limited access to official case materials.

The relevant decision was announced on Monday at the Schiphol court complex, where the trial is taking place.

The meeting was held only with the participation of interested parties - presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis and two substitute judges, one prosecutor and one representative of the relatives of the deceased. Neither the press nor other process observers were due to restrictive measures introduced because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Pulatov's defense lawyers were not present. According to the presiding judge, they will monitor the trial via the live stream on the court's website.