In an appeal to Moscow backed by Kyiv, the European Union, and Western nations, Russia is urged to finally acknowledge its role in the catastrophic MH17 Malaysia Airlines incident, where a Russian missile shot down the aircraft ten years ago over eastern Ukraine. The disaster led to the tragic death of all 298 passengers, as the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was destroyed mid-flight.
The assault took place in July 2014 in the Donetsk region, a territory under the control of Moscow-backed militias at the time and now occupied by Russia. According to a criminal inquiry conducted in the Netherlands, the Buk missile system that brought down MH17 was dispatched from a Russian military base near Kursk and re-deployed to the base subsequent to the incident with a spent missile fixture.
In 2022, a Dutch court handed out life sentences to a pair of Russian individuals and a Ukrainian militant, ruling in absentia, holding them responsible for the deaths on board. However, Russia has rejected requests for their extradition, painting the investigation and trial as tainted by political bias.
In its verdict, the European Union stressed based on the presented court evidence, there is no uncertainty that the armed forces of the Russian Federation possessed the Buk missile system that downed Flight MH17. The EU reasserted that disinformation operations can’t obscure these fundamental truths sanctioned in a court setting.
The EU further repeated its summons to Russia to face up to its reckoning in this calamity and to fully engage in the process of justice.
The incident occurred a mere five months following the pro-democracy Maidan movement in Ukraine when the nation began aligning more with the West, and Russia responded by claiming Crimea and arming and funneling combatants to seize territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recalled the global resonance of the war waged against Ukraine, underscoring that the Russian menace represented a danger not solely to Ukraine but universally. He also drew attention to the toll – 298 deceased, inclusive of 80 children – originating from different countries. He closed with a cryptic promise that all those culpable would receive their due legal consequences.
In the Netherlands, where 196 victims of the MH17 disaster resided, a remembrance ceremony was joined by King Willem-Alexander, top-ranking officials, and the victims’ kin. “While the years have journeyed by, the profound grief persists, ” exclaimed Dutch Foreign Minister, Caspar Veldkamp. He pointed out the country’s relentless pursuit for truth, justice and accountability over the years, a quest assisted by various countries impacted by the tragedy. He also reassured that these endeavors would be continued.
The Russian Federation, which has been subjected to persistent legal implications regarding the incident in the European Court of Human Rights and the International Civil Aviation Organisation council (ICAO), had regrettably pulled out from the latter proceedings in June.
UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has lamented Russia’s one-sided choice to exit the ICAO discussions concerning MH17 and urges Russia for more involvement in attempts to secure accountability, so justice can be rightfully served. The UK mourned the death of 10 Britons in the MH17 catastrophe.
Australia, which mourned the loss of 38 citizens and permanent residents in the flight, roundly proclaimed Russia’s responsibility for this horrific act had been “distinctly and definitively” established, according to its Foreign Minister, Penny Wong. She also expressed deep disappointment in Russia’s withdrawal from the ICAO proceedings but firmly stated that this will not inhibit Australia’s resolve to demand accountability from Russia.
In the midst of Ukraine’s relentless invasion by Russia, which is into its third year now, a swap of 95 POWs took place between the belligerent neighbouring countries on Wednesday.
Furthermore, recurrent Russian missile and drone attacks have heavily damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure leading to inadequate supply of electricity amidst a stumble, much to the suffering of millions of citizens reeling under rolling blackouts.