Overview

• At the Montreal assembly on Sept. 27, Russia received 87 votes, short of the 93 required to return to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s 36-member council.
• A Russian request for a repeat ballot was rejected by the assembly shortly after the result was announced.
• Ukraine and Western partners welcomed the outcome, with officials highlighting alleged breaches of the Chicago Convention and risks from uncertified aircraft and GNSS/GPS interference.
• Russia’s Transport Ministry condemned the decision as politicized and harmful to ICAO’s authority, pointing to claimed support from BRICS and countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
• Russia lost its council seat in 2022 after seizing foreign-leased aircraft, and ICAO has since ruled Moscow responsible for the MH17 downing, a decision Russia has appealed at the International Court of Justice.