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3mo ago

ECHR Rules Russia Liable for MH17 Downing and Systematic Abuses in Ukraine

Russia’s refusal to recognize the court’s authority turns its binding verdicts into largely symbolic victories with no path to enforce accountability.

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 1, 2014 file photo, Australian and Dutch investigators examine a piece of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 plane, near the village of Hrabove, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine. The Dutch government is taking to Russia to the European Court of Human Rights for its alleged role in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine six years ago, the foreign minister announced Friday July 10, 2020.
People demonstrate outside the European Court of Human Rights before it issues a landmark set of rulings about alleged Russian violations in Ukraine since 2014, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, Wednesday, July 9, 2025 in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Antonin Utz)
Image
Members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic forces walk past a memorial to victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 plane crash, that was shot down over rebel-held territory in 2014, on the anniversary of the incident, outside the village of Hrabove in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 17, 2020. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo

Overview

  • Judges unanimously found Russia legally responsible for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and widespread human rights violations in Ukraine since 2014.
  • The court ordered Russia to immediately release or safely return people detained in occupied Ukrainian territories and to cooperate on reuniting children transferred to Russia.
  • ECHR judges condemned Russia’s inadequate MH17 investigation and ruled that non-cooperation significantly aggravated victims’ suffering.
  • Moscow declared the judgments null and void after its 2022 expulsion from the Council of Europe, undermining prospects for enforcement or reparations.
  • A later ruling will set financial compensation as Ukraine pursues nearly 10,000 individual claims and works with the Council of Europe on a special tribunal for aggression.