UN Aviation Agency finds Russia responsible for the fall of MH17

Russia was responsible for downing the Malaysia Airlines flight, MH17, on Eastern Ukraine in July 2014, ruled the United Nations Aviation Office.

All 298 people on board the passenger plane were killed when it was shot by a Russian rocket.

The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster.

On Monday, the UN Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted that the Russian Federation did not maintain its obligations under the International Air Act, in which States “abandon the use of weapons against civil aircraft during the flight”.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 traveled from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was brought down over the Donbas region in Ukraine, during a conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops.

The majority of passengers and the crew, 196 people, came from the Netherlands.

There were also 38 people from Australia, 10 British citizens, as well as Belgian and Malaysian subjects on board.

The UN case was introduced in 2022 by the Australian and Dutch governments, both of which are welcomed The pronunciation of the ICAO.

“We call on Russia to finally experience responsibility for this horrible act of violence and to recover for his gross behavior,” said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in a statement.

The Dutch Foreign Minister, Caspar Veldkamp, ​​said it was “an important step to establish the truth and to reach justice and accountability”.

It sends a clear message to the international community, added: “States cannot violate international law with impunity”.

In 2022, a Dutch Court ruled that a group had taken the plane down by Russian and Two Russians and a pro-moskou Ukrainian subject were convicted of murder in absence.

The trio, however, was all convicted of life in prison because they were not extradited, they did not have time in prison.