Australia and Netherlands decided to take legal action against Russia over its alleged role in downing Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine more than seven years ago.
MH17 Crash
- In 2014, the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
- The MH17 plane was flying between Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). When the plane was in the airspace of eastern Ukraine it got hit by a missile.
- When the plane crashed on 17 July 2014, all 298 passengers and crew on board were killed.
- In the MH17 plane, there were 38 Australians, 43 Malaysians, and 196 Dutch nationals.
Role of Russia
It is alleged the missile that hit the plane was fired by Russia. At that time Crimea was annexed by Russia and a civil war was being fought between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatist rebels. However, Russia has always denied playing any role in the 2014 MH17 plane crash. In 2020, investigators from the Netherlands concluded that the MH17 plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile operated by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
About the legal action
Australia and Netherlands initiated legal proceedings before the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. According to Article 84, when there is a disagreement between the countries, voting is conducted to settle issues.