TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has unanimously ruled that Russia bears responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17), which killed all 298 passengers and crew members.
The flight was shot down on July 17, 2014, while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, passing over eastern Ukraine.
The Strasbourg-based court concluded that Russia had failed to carry out a proper investigation, did not cooperate with requests for information, and failed to offer legal remedies to the victims’ families, as reported by CNA and ABC News.
Despite consistent denials from the Kremlin, including dismissals of evidence pointing to Russian involvement, the court found that Russian forces were responsible for providing the missile system used by Ukrainian separatists to shoot down the plane.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded by saying Russia does not recognize the court's authority and has "no intention to comply" with the ruling, which Moscow considers "null and void."
In response to the ECHR ruling, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said, "Nothing can take away this suffering and grief, but I hope the verdict offers a sense of justice and recognition."
The majority of the passengers on the flight were Dutch citizens.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated that this was a "significant step towards justice."
"The court has designated Russia as responsible for the downing of MH17 and the death of its passengers, including 196 Dutch nationals," he said.
Piet Ploeg, who lost his brother, stepsister, and nephew in the tragedy, described this as a "important day."
"I don't think Russia will pay anything but it is not about money today," he said.
"It is about getting justice and recognition and maybe getting apologies... You never know."
The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, praised the ECHR ruling as "one of the most important in the practice of interstate cases".
The ECHR is part of the Council of Europe and is tasked with enforcing the European Convention on Human Rights. Although individuals usually bring cases to the court, governments can also file what are known as interstate cases, as was done in the MH17 case.
Australia and multiple European countries have long held Russia accountable for the downing of the aircraft, which was the second Malaysia Airlines plane lost in 2014. Among the dead were 38 Australian citizens and residents.
In 2022, a Dutch court convicted three individuals — two Russians and one Ukrainian — in connection with the attack. The trial was held in absentia, and the convicted men remain at large, making it unlikely they will serve life sentences.
Further reinforcing the international stance, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization declared in May 2025 that Russia had violated international law by using weapons against a civilian aircraft.
Wednesday’s ruling comes amid a broader legal reckoning with Russia’s actions. Though Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe and withdrew from the European Convention on Human Rights following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the ECHR continues to review cases filed prior to that date.
The panel of 17 judges also found Russia guilty of broader violations, including “extrajudicial killing of civilians and Ukrainian military personnel,” torture, forced labor, arbitrary detention, and looting.
The court further ruled that Russia violated human rights through the “transfer to Russia and, in many cases, the adoption there of Ukrainian children.” It ordered Moscow to immediately release or return individuals detained in occupied Ukrainian territories.
In addition, the court instructed Russia to cooperate in creating an international, independent body to identify Ukrainian children transferred to Russia or Russian-controlled areas before September 2022, with the goal of reuniting them with their families.
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