UN aviation council finds Russia shot down Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine in 2014

The United Nations' (UN) Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Monday determined that Russia violated the Chicago Convention in 2014 when it shot down a Malaysian Airlines flight over Ukraine, killing everyone on board.

The ICAO said Russia violated the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also dubbed the Chicago Convention, which forces countries to “refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight.”

The passenger flight, which had 298 people on board, was shot down by a Russian-made missile while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But Russia has long denied any involvement in the incident. 

The case was first brought to the ICAO in 2022 by the Australian and Dutch governments, because the majority of passengers were either from the Netherlands or Australia. But British, Belgian and Malaysian nationals were also killed.

The latest move marks the first time in ICAO history that a dispute between governments has been decided, according to the New York Post.

“We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp urged the ICAO to help oversee negotiations with Russia regarding compensation for the families of victims killed on board the flight.

“The latter is important in order to ensure that the negotiations are conducted in good faith and according to specific timelines, and that they will yield actual results,” he said.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.