Official aviation body finds Russia shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 that killed 298 people

An official aviation body has found that Russia shot down the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.

The passenger plane was taken down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, with all 298 people on board killed.

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

But the United Nations aviation council has now ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of the plane, as it has determined that it was a Russian-made missile that was used.

Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was taken down over the Donbas region of Ukraine. This occurred during a conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces.

Among the victims were 196 people from the Netherlands, 38 people from Australia, 10 British citizens, as well as Belgian and Malaysian nationals.

It crashed down in July 2014 (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

The UN’s Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted yesterday (12 May) that the Russian Federation 'failed to uphold its obligations under international air law', which requires states to 'refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight'.

It is described as the first time in its history that the council has determined the merits of a dispute between UN member states.

The Australian and Dutch governments brought the case to the UN in 2022. Russia unilaterally withdrew from negotiations with the two countries seeking compensation and an apology in October 2020.

In November 2022, Dutch judges ruled that a Russian-controlled group had downed the Malaysian Airlines flight and two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian national were convicted of murder in absentia. Moscow named this ruling 'scandalous' and said it wouldn't extradite its citizens.

It has long been suggested that Russia was responsible but the Kremlin denied it (Soner Kilinc/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

And in 2023, a team of international investigators from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine said there were 'strong indications' that Vladimir Putin had personally signed off on a decision to supply the missile that took down flight MH17.

Welcoming this ruling, Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong said in a statement: “We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct."

And Dutch foreign minister, Caspar Veldkamp, said this ruling is an ‘important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability’ for both the victims and their loved ones.

"This decision also sends a clear message to the international community: states cannot violate international law with impunity," he added.