The defendants – Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko – held senior posts in pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine in 2014, according to prosecutors. They face preliminary charges of murder and of causing an aircraft to crash.

Prosecutors say the four men helped to arrange the Russian missile system used to shoot down the MAS Boeing 777 aircraft on MH17, killing all 298 on board. Most of those killed were Dutch.

MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels amid fighting in eastern Ukraine. Russia has denied any involvement.

At the hearing today, Pulatov did not appear in person but sent lawyers to represent him and they have told the court their client was not in any way involved in the crash. The other defendants are being tried in absentia.

Pulatov’s lawyers argued at the opening of the case on March 9 that they needed more time to read through all the court documents. On Monday, the Dutch judges agreed with them.

“The court suspends the examination of the Pulatov case until June 8, 10am, and the defence will be able to speak at that time,” presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis said.

He said that meant the cases against the other three defendants, which are being tried simultaneously, would therefore also be suspended until that time.

Monday’s session was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak but was broadcast via an internet livestream.