Overview
- On July 9, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia was responsible for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired over eastern Ukraine.
- The court cited evidence that the missile system belonged to a Russian air defence unit that deployed the launcher into Ukrainian territory before returning it to Russia after the strike.
- Judges also held Russia accountable for a pattern of human rights violations in Ukraine since 2014, including executions of civilians and prisoners, torture, and forced deportations.
- The ruling emphasised Moscow’s obstruction of crash-site investigations, which delayed the recovery of victims’ remains by eight months and exacerbated suffering for the families of the 298 passengers.
- Since Russia has left the Council of Europe and refuses to recognise the ECHR’s jurisdiction, the judgement remains largely symbolic and its reparations orders face significant enforcement challenges.