The United Nations aviation agency has determined that Russia was accountable for downing a Malaysian Airlines flight over Ukraine in 2014, leading to the deaths of all 298 passengers and crew on board.
Flight MH17, operated by Malaysian Airlines, was hit by a missile manufactured in Russia during its journey from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. At the time, there was intense conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region below.
On Monday, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council concluded that the Russian federation breached international air law, which mandates that countries must “refrain from using weapons against civilian aircraft in flight.”
Russia has denied any responsibility for the incident.
The case was brought to the UN in 2022 by the Dutch and Australian governments. Of the nearly 300 victims, 196 were from the Netherlands and 38 were from Australia, according to the BBC.
“We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct,” Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, said in a statement after the vote.
