THE left-leaning Novaya Gazeta Russian newspaper has published a highly provocative apology — written in Dutch and splashed across its front page today.

The paper has deviated from the official line coming out of the Kremlin, by attributing the source of the attack on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 at the hands of the Russian separatists.

“Forgive Us, Netherlands’’ was the bold headline above a sombre photograph of the convoy of hearses that transported the first of the bodies across The Netherlands from Eindhoven to Hilversum for forensic analysis.

The paper — which was set up by the former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbechev from money he received as part of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize — is highly regarded for its critical coverage of Russian politics.

But the investigations have come at a heavy price, with four of its journalists murdered since 2001.

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