UN aviation agency finds Russia responsible for 2014 downing of airliner over Ukraine
Australia and the Netherlands, the countries with most fatalities in the tragedy, quickly called for Russia to assume responsiblity for the downing and pay damages.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based in Montreal, said claims brought by Australia and the Netherlands over the shooting down of Flight MH17 on 17 July of that year were 'well founded in fact and in law.'
'The Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17,' the agency said in a statement issued Monday evening.
The ICAO said this was the first time in its history that its council has made a determination on the merits of a dispute between member states.
On 17 July, 2014 the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 – en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur – was hit by a Russian-made BUK surface to air missile over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatist rebels were battling Ukrainian forces.
Dutch nationals accounted for two-thirds of the dead, along with 38 Australians and about 30 Malaysians, with many victims having dual nationalities.
Then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called it a 'terrorist act.'
Pro-Russian rebels in the area claimed the airliner was shot down by a Ukrainian military jet. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine 'bears responsibility.'
The following day, then US president Barack Obama said a missile fired from separatist-held territory was to blame and the rebels would not have been able to hit the airliner without Russian support.
In 2022 a Dutch court sentenced three men to life in prison over the downing, among them two Russians, but Russia refused to extradite them.
Advertisement
Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the tragedy.
In 2023 a team of international investigators from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine said there were 'strong indications' that Putin had approved the supplying of the missile that down the jetliner.
Last year investigators suspended their probe of the downing, saying there was not enough evidence to identify more suspects.
I welcome today's important
@icao
Council conclusion reaffirming Russia's responsibility for the downing of Flight
#MH17
.
This is one more step toward restoring justice for this crime. And a clear message: no matter how much money and effort Russia put into lying to conceal its…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha)
May 12, 2025
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha celebrated the ICAO decision, writing in a statement on X: 'This is one more step toward restoring justice for this crime.'
'And a clear message: no matter how much money and effort Russia put into lying to conceal its crimes, the truth wins out, and justice prevails.'
The governments of Australia and the Netherlands also welcomed the UN agency's decision Monday night and pressed for action against Russia.
'This is a historic moment in the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of Flight MH17, and their families and loved ones,' the Australian government said in a statement.
It called on the agency to 'move swiftly to determine remedies' for Russia's violation of international law.
'We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct, as required under international law,' the statement added.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said: 'The decision cannot take away their grief and suffering, but it is an important step towards truth-finding, justice and accountability for all victims of flight MH17 and their relatives.'
The minister said that in the coming weeks the ICAO council 'will consider the manner in which legal redress should take place.'
Australia and the Netherlands want the council to make Russia enter into negotiations with them and to supervise the process, the minister said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
3 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Terrified and sickly Putin's disastrous war has sealed his fate – I know how its all going to end, warns ex-CIA chief
VLADIMIR Putin is terrfied, sickly and facing a fate just like his toppled dictator pal Bashar al-Assad, a former CIA chief has warned. Ralph Goff, ex-CIA chief of operations for Europe and Eurasia, said the aging Russian tyrant is preoccupied with his health. 8 Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin this week Credit: AP 8 Rumours have often swirled about Putin's ill health Credit: AFP 8 Putin famously donned a full suit and gas mask during Covid Credit: EPA 8 Ukrainian soldiers fire a ZU-23 anti-aircraft twin auto-cannon towards a Russian drone Credit: AFP And while he fumbles with trying to keep well, there is likely to be fermenting dissent in his elites. He said Putin, 72, could fall very quickly if his oligarch pals turn on him - potentially losing power in a sudden uprising like Assad. Goff said the Russian president's health and well-being is his "top concern". The ex-spook - a 35-year CIA veteran - told The Sun: "Putin is a guy who's afraid of Covid, afraid of being sick. "His personal health and well-being are his top concern. "Putin may have the same fate as Bashar al-Assad who fell suddenly without warning. "I think this is one of the more likely outcomes for Putin - a threat that he doesn't even see coming, comes out of nowhere, and he's gone." Like other intelligence chiefs, Goff - who served in Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia - believes Putin "sees a threat in the elite". He said: "It's similar to the Italian mafia organised crime in the United States - where if the head was judged bad for business, then the they would get together and take him out. "So Putin's got to watch out. He's got to watch the economy. How country with population the size of Birmingham on Putin's doorstep is bracing for invasion… as war plans revealed "He's got to watch the loyalty of the oligarchs." Despite leading a war effort that has been devastating to Russia, Vlad is "still popular", Goff said. But he added: "It's a huge scale of devastation and loss. And that can undermine just about anybody." 8 Putin pictured coughing during a briefing at the Kremlin What we know about Putin's health By Henry Holloway, Deputy Foreign Editor VLADIMIR Putin has long been rumoured to be suffering from poor health. Russia has always insisted that the judo-loving, horse-riding and often shirtless tyrant is in perfect health. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky even stated as fact earlier this year that Putin will "die soon". From trembling "jelly" legs and bloated features to whispered diagnoses of cancer and Parkinson's, speculation has exploded that the ageing despot is battling multiple serious illnesses behind the Kremlin walls. Bombshell spy leaks have suggested Putin is fighting pancreatic, thyroid, and even prostate cancer. An investigation by Proekt media revealed that a top thyroid cancer surgeon visited Putin no fewer than 35 times at his Black Sea resort, Sochi. The tyrant is also reportedly followed constantly by a neurosurgeon, raising fears of neurological or oncological issues. Footage of Putin greeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in April 2022 showed him trembling uncontrollably, his knees appearing to buckle as he attempted a handshake. He has since been caught in multiple clips tapping his foot, gripping tables for support and slouching awkwardly in meetings – including during a 12-minute briefing with defence chief Sergei Shoigu where his hand clutched a desk throughout. Alongside cancer and Parkinson's rumours, some reports have also linked Putin to multiple sclerosis (MS) – a chronic condition affecting the brain and spinal cord. Though less widely reported, speculation about MS has emerged due to Putin's unsteady gait, rigid posture, and occasional difficulty with movement – all potential symptoms of the disease. Videos have shown him walking with stiffness, appearing to drag his legs, and struggling with coordination. As the war rumbles on, Goff revealed the recipe for Ukraine success - more weapons from Europe and targeting Russian assets. He said: "When the Ukrainians are successfully armed and prepared, they can hold out - and there's an increased chance of forcing some sort of settlement. "If not, Putin can continue this war for as long as he likes - to the point where the Ukrainians are forced to kind of seek a very disadvantageous peace, or ceasefire." Goff warns it would be "very unstable" with "no guarantee that some sort of war won't break out in the future". And outside Russia, Goff believes a regime change in Iran would have a direct impact on Putin's war. He said: "A change in regime would undermine that support and help isolate Russia just a little bit more." 8 Ralph Goff - who served in the CIA for 35 years - believes Vladimir Putin could face the same fate as Syria's Assad Credit: Supplied 8 Ukrainian soldiers fire a 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops in Kharkiv Credit: Reuters
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Ukrainian drone attack sparks massive fire at Russian oil depot
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi sparked a major fire, Russian officials have said, as the two countries traded strikes. More than 120 firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze, sparked after debris from a downed drone struck a fuel tank, Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram on Sunday. Videos on social media appear to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot. Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi's airport. Further north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported four people were injured in another Ukrainian drone strike. Russia's defence ministry said its air defences shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday. Smoke rises after a Russian drone strike on Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Saturday (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade/AP) Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike hit a residential area in the city of Mykolaiv, according to the emergency services, injuring seven people. The Ukrainian air force said on Sunday that Russia launched 76 drones and seven missiles against Ukraine. It said 60 drones and one missile were intercepted, but 16 others and six missiles hit targets across eight locations. The reciprocal attacks came at the end of one of the deadliest weeks in Ukraine in recent months, after a Russian drone and missile attack on Thursday killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150. The continued attacks come after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline of August 8 for peace efforts to make progress. He then said on Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine, and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Nothing to see in Epstein sex files? Time for Trump to release the X-Files
The Russian philosopher Aleksandr Zinovyev once coined the term 'Homo Sovieticus'. It described how some citizens of the former Soviet Union had been propagated into a new offshoot of the human species. A branch of the family tree that had evolved to resign itself to totalitarian control. Homo Sovieticus now has an American cousin. Let's call him Pro Maganon Man. He's a prototype of the Q-Anon conspiracy fantasist crossed with the DNA of Donald Trump's MAGA political cult, a creature bred to ignore reality, facts and knowledge. Q-Anon was born around the belief that Trump was secretly fighting a cabal of cannibalistic paedophiles from Hollywood. Conspiracy is its creed. So to these people the notion that some things just 'are', while others are demonstrably 'not'? Well that's just goddamned woke, leftist 'reality' talk. Donald Trump 'was told months ago' his name was in Jeffrey Epstein files Somehow Trump either understood or stumbled on this political force and has weaponised it to foster a kind of Maga stormtrooper. That's why it's particularly satisfying to watch as he now wrestles for control of the monster he created. A founding tenet of Maganon Man's church of conspiracy is that a who's who of liberal elites were a part of Jeffrey Epstein's global paedophile ring. Trump's throwaway manifesto pledge to release the files that would prove it, had his flock salivating in rapturous anticipation. But in his first real breach with the fantasy cult that he has nurtured, the Donald has now denied their infallible article of faith. He has said there is nothing to see in the runes of the great conspiracy. He has tried to fob them off with the absurd notion of 'facts.' The sweet irony is it doesn't even matter if he's now telling the truth or not. Not when you're preaching to an audience of people who proclaim the world to be flat, the moon landings to be fake and hurricanes to be directed by Joe Biden sowing seeds in the clouds. Asking them to accept a reality based on some facts you have to hand, is akin to telling a devoted Christian soldier to switch sides to the Devil. Trump's Epstein birthday letter read out spells trouble for US President The Maganon congregation possess a blind faith that would even make the Pope blush. Pope Leo may be God's man on earth but he is also a trained mathematician who last week congratualted astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the anniversary of his lunar landing feats. The Pontiff wouldn't last day one at Maganon Man boot camp. The Church of Conspiracy's holiest prayer is 'Thou shall own your own truth.' Whatever it suits at any given moment to believe, that is what's true in that moment, a reality of your own making that is even better than the real thing. Trump has not just let this side down. He has committed a sacrilege against its fundamental belief system by dismissing the great Epstein conspiracy theory. It remains to be seen what price the faithful will demand for his heresy. The Ministry of Trump has wrapped America in a perfect storm of ignorance Allowing actual reality to appear out from behind the curtain usually doesn't end well for the leader of the cult. But if the prodigal president is looking for a way back to the fold, one man may have a cunning plan: Forget Epstein and his sex files - release the X-Files instead! British alien hunter Gary Heseltine believes Trump can unite all the warring tribes of the earth by telling the truth about UFOs. The X Files Television series which follows two FBI Alien investigators Mulder and Skully played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as they track down weird and unusual sightings This week he implored the American president 'to inform the world about the reality of NHI (Non Human Intelligence) soon, or risk causing major public panic with a 'Catastrophic Disclosure' event. " A 'catastrophic disclosure event' is exactly what the MAGA cult was expecting from the Epstein files. So it's got to be tempting for Trump to give 'em a bit of that ole time conspiracy religion again. If nothing else it sounds like a big, beautiful distraction. Release the UFO X Files? Watch this space. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here
