The European Court of Human Rights has determined Russia's culpability in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine's Donetsk region, resulting in 298 fatalities, according to an Associated Press report.
Judges concluded that available evidence demonstrated Russia intentionally fired a missile at the civilian aircraft. This marks the first international judicial finding holding Russia accountable for the MH17 disaster. In a separate decision, the court also ruled that Russia breached international law during its military actions in Ukraine, AP noted.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers voted to expel the country from the organization. In June 2022, President Vladimir Putin enacted legislation refusing compliance with ECHR rulings issued after March 15 of that year.
The tragedy occurred on July 17, 2014, when a Malaysia Airlines Boeing en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was struck by a missile over eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. Among the 298 victims, nearly two-thirds were Dutch nationals.
A Dutch court in The Hague ruled in 2022 that the aircraft was hit by a Russian-supplied Buk missile system, transported from Russia's Kursk region to separatist-held territory shortly before the attack. Moscow continues to reject these allegations. The court convicted Russians Igor Strelkov-Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky, along with Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko, of mass murder for their roles in the incident, sentencing all three to life imprisonment in absentia.