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Tengrinews.kz – Russia has filed a challenge with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the decision of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council holding Moscow responsible for the July 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Donbass.
What happened
On May 12, the ICAO Council ruled that Russia bears responsibility for the MH17 crash and violated the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The decision followed a case initiated by the Netherlands and Australia in 2022, after the Boeing 777 was shot down over Donbass in July 2014. The majority of council members supported the positions of the Netherlands and Australia.
"We call on Russia to finally acknowledge its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and pay compensation for its egregious behavior," said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the time.
Russia’s statement
On September 18, Russia submitted a complaint to the ICJ disputing ICAO’s ruling linking it to the MH17 disaster. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the ICAO decision was politicized, ignored Russia’s arguments, and violated procedural rules.
The Russian side argued that the ICAO Council did not conduct a fully independent investigation, relying instead on reports from interested countries. The challenge addresses all aspects of the decision, including jurisdiction, applicable law, facts, and procedure. Russia emphasized it will seek truth in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.
The 2014 Malaysian Boeing crash
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down on July 17, 2014, over Donbass in an active conflict zone. All 298 people on board died, including 38 Australian citizens.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) concluded that the plane was downed by a 9M38 missile fired from a Buk surface-to-air system located in territory controlled by pro-Russian forces. Investigators claim the Buk system came from Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade near Kursk and was returned to Russian territory shortly after the tragedy.
