The United Nations aviation arm, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled yesterday (April 12) that Russia “failed to uphold its obligations under international air law which requires that States ‘refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight’” and was therefore responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014.
MH17 was enroute from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in the midst of a Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, when the Boeing 777 was brought down by a Russian Buk TELAR missile. The missile battery had come from Russia and was set up in an open farm field in eastern Ukraine. The area was occupied by pro-Russian separatists. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members died in the crash.
Monday’s ICAO ruling follows a 2022 Dutch court case that also determined it was a Russian-controlled group that destroyed MH17. Two Russians and pro-Russian Ukrainian national were convicted of murder in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. They have yet to be extradited to serve their sentences.
