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On July 17, it will be ten years since the Netherlands was plunged into mourning after the shooting down of MH17 in Eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers, including 196 compatriots, were killed in the middle of a war zone, near the Russian border. In addition to all the grief and the complex aftermath of the disaster, the Netherlands also found itself in a geopolitical conflict. The government and hundreds of civil servants worked on dealing with the disaster in what was one of the most complex crises ever. Ten years later, Nieuwsuur speaks with four top civil servants who were at the helm at the time. They talk openly about the first weeks after the disaster, but also about what MH17 meant to the Netherlands, then and now. We speak to former National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security Dick Schoof (incidentally, recorded before he was asked to become Prime Minister), Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, who was MH17 envoy, former Chief of Defence Staff Tom Middendorp and former Director-General of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wim Geerts. This is a story by Joost Oranje Editing: Douwe Veldhuisen Graphics: Maurits Engelen #MH17 #russia #advice More videos? Subscribe, turn on your bell and leave a comment. Also follow us on Instagram: / nieuwsuur At Nieuwsuur you can find a new video every Saturday. We provide depth and context. We monitor the power. Respectfully and critically. At Nieuwsuur you see compelling stories that touch you and make you think.