THE AMERICA ONE NEWS
Jun 1, 2025  |  
0
 | Remer,MN
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge.
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge and Reasoning Support for Fantasy Sports and Betting Enthusiasts.
back  
topic
Maria Tril


ICAO acknowledges Russia’s responsibility for shooting down flight MH17

Russia faces potential reparation negotiations following 12 May’s ICAO Council ruling that found Moscow responsible for violating international aviation law in the 2014 downing of flight MH17.
MH-17
Local workers transport a piece of wreckage from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 at the site of the plane crash near the village of Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine 20 November 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Antonio Bronic/File Photo
ICAO acknowledges Russia’s responsibility for shooting down flight MH17

The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) concluded that Russia bears responsibility for downing flight MH17 in July 2014, violating the Convention on International Civil Aviation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands reported on 12 May.

The MH-17 disaster refers to the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July 2014, when the Boeing 777 passenger plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was struck by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine. Some 298 people were killing on board. The missile exploded near the cockpit, causing the aircraft to break apart mid-air over territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists during the war in Donbas.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the final decision about the quilty of MH-17 disaster was made through a vote by ICAO Council members on 12 May, with a “significant majority” supporting the position of the Netherlands and Australia.

“This is an important step toward justice for the victims and their families,” the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in their announcement.

The dispute was initiated by the Netherlands and Australia in March 2022 against Russia regarding the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight that occurred on 17 July 2014, over eastern Ukraine.

The next phase involved determining compensation from Russia. The ICAO must first require Russia to begin negotiations with the Netherlands and Australia while facilitating this process.

“This is crucial to ensure negotiations are conducted in good faith, follow a specific timeline, and produce tangible results,” the Dutch Foreign Ministry explained.

Moscow had unilaterally withdrawn from the dispute at the International Civil Aviation Organisation in summer 2024.

The ruling follows the 17 November 2022 decision by the Hague District Court, which sentenced Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, and Leonid Kharchenko to life imprisonment in absentia for their role in shooting down the Malaysian airliner over Donbas.

The Hague court also determined that Russia controlled the self-proclaimed “DNR” at the time flight MH17 was shot down.

Read also: