Russia must pay damages for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says.
Published On 13 May 2025
The United Nations aviation agency has said Russia was responsible for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014 that killed all 298 passengers and crew.
With 38 Australian citizens and 196 Dutch citizens on board the aircraft when it was downed, the two governments called on Russia to take responsibility for the incident and pay damages. However, Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the downing of the plane.
Late on Monday, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said Australia and the Netherlands’ claims over the shooting down of flight MH17 were “well-founded in fact and in law”.
“The Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17,” the agency said in a statement.
According to international air law, a distinction must be made between military aircraft and commercial or other aircraft during warfare.
However, Moscow rejected the aviation body’s findings on Tuesday.
“Russia was not a country that participated in the investigation of this incident. Therefore, we do not accept all these biased conclusions,” the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
While the IC