ECHR rules Russia responsible for downing MH17 in 2014, condemns failure to investigate and human rights abuses in Ukraine. Photo/X.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday unanimously ruled that Russia is responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (MH17).
The crash took place on July 17, 2014 , killing all 298 passengers including 38 Australian citizens and residents and the crew on board. The plane was flying over eastern Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed.
The ECHR in its ruling condemned Russia for failing to conduct an adequate investigation into the crash claiming that Moscow did not cooperate with the court’s investigation.
The court said requests for information were denied and Russia failed to provide legal remedies for the victims’ survivors. According to the court, Russia’s ongoing denial of any involvement has caused additional suffering to the relatives of those lost in the crash that happened more then a decade ago.
Thein addition to the the MH17 crash case, charged for repeated and systematic human rights violations in Ukraine. These include indiscriminate military attacks, summary executions of civilians, torture including the use of rape as a weapon of war, forced displacement, and other serious abuses
Russia was expelled from ECHR in 2022 after its invaded Ukraine and in 2023, promting the Russian parliament for vote to end the ECHR’s jurisdiction in Russia. ECHR is part of the Council of Europe which is an international organization working on upholding human rights.
Since the MH17 crash, Australia and other varioys European countries have accused Russia for downing the MH17 tragedy. Earlier efforts to hold the perpetrators accountable include a 2022 Dutch court trial that convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian in absentia for murder related to the shootdown. However, these individuals remain at large and are unlikely to serve their life sentences.
In May 2025, the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization also concluded that Russia was responsible and violated international law by using weapons against a civilian aircraft.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp hailed the ECHR ruling, saying it can offer some relief to the greivinng families. The majority of passengers on MH17 were Dutch nationals.
“Nothing can take away this suffering and grief, but I hope the verdict offers a sense of justice and recognition,” he said.
Ukraine’s Justice Ministry described the ECHR decision on the Telegram messaging platform as “one of the most important in the practice of interstate cases.”
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov however, dismissed the ruling, stating, “we consider them null and void,” and reaffirmed Russia’s refusal to abide by the court’s decisions.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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