CANADA, MONTREAL, May 13 — On May 12, in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) confirmed Russia’s responsibility for the attack on Malaysia Airlines flight 17, which has violated the Convention on International Civil Aviation (CIOA), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

On 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine. The flight was on its way from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). 283 passengers and 15 crew members were on board, and all of them died in the crash. 

Representatives from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, and Ukraine created a Joint investigation team to investigate this airplane crash. Russia rejected its connection to the crime.

In November 2022, The Hague Court announced the verdict for the case of MH17. Two Russian citizens, Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko, were found guilty. The court sentenced them to life imprisonment and approved the payment of compensation.

Also, The Hague Court recognized that Russia has controlled the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic since at least May 2014.

The Netherlands and Australia initiated the dispute in March 2022. They asked the ICAO to assign Russia responsibility and start negotiations between three countries under the organization’s control. Moscow announced its unilateral suspension of participation in the dispute in the summer of 2024.

On May 12, 2025, ICAO voted on the decision, with a “significant majority” of the Council members supporting the Netherlands and Australia’s position. The next step is to indicate the amount of compensation that’ll be asked from Russia.

“This decision also sends a clear message to the international community: states cannot violate international law with impunity,” said Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Caspar Veldkamp.

On May 9, Ukrainian officials, the Council of Europe, and foreign ministers from European countries signed a document about political support of creating a Special tribunal for Russian aggression against Ukraine.

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