UN Aviation Body Holds Russia Responsible for MH17 Tragedy

Over a decade after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has officially declared Russia responsible for the 2014 attack that killed all 298 passengers and crew.The plane was shot down over eastern Ukraine during intense clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists. The victims included 196 Dutch nationals and 38 Australians.

In 2022, Dutch courts convicted three men — two Russians and one Ukrainian — in absentia for their roles. Russia refused extradition and called the ruling “scandalous.”
Australia and the Netherlands filed the case with the ICAO in 2022. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp welcomed the ICAO ruling, saying it was “an important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability.”