The UN Civil Aviation Agency has ruled that Russia is responsible for the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine in 2014, which killed all 298 people - passengers and crew, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Dutch government, BTA reported.
The statement said that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will consider in the coming weeks what form of compensation will be requested. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 took off from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, but was shot down over eastern Ukraine, where fighting was taking place between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.
In November 2022, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and one Ukrainian in absentia of their involvement in the attack that brought down the plane. Moscow called the decision "scandalous" and said it would not extradite its citizens.
The ICAO, which is based in Montreal, did not comment on today's ruling. In 2022 the case was taken up by Australia and the Netherlands.
"The decision is an important step towards establishing the truth, achieving justice and (taking) responsibility for all victims of flight MH17 and their families and loved ones", Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Veldkamp said in a statement. "This decision also sends a clear message to the international community: by asserting that international law cannot be violated with impunity," he added.
The Netherlands and Australia want ICAO to order Russia to enter into compensation negotiations, Veldkamp added.