2 weeks ago
Last Updated:July 10, 2025, 09:53 IST
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in Ukraine, including the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
A pro-Russian rebel touches the MH17 wreckage at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (Photo: AP)
Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law in Ukraine, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, Europe’s top human rights court has ruled.
The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July 17, 2014, using a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels. All 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 196 Dutch citizens.
This is the first time an international court has held Moscow accountable for human rights abuses related to the conflict there.
In May, the United Nations’ aviation agency found Russia responsible for the disaster.
The court’s remark came on Wednesday, when judges read the verdicts on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia since the start of the conflict in 2014.
The allegations included murder, torture, rape, destroying civilian infrastructure, kidnapping Ukrainian children and shooting down the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, Flight MH17, by Ukrainian separatists who side with Russia.
Reading the decisions before a packed courtroom in Strasbourg, court president Mattias Guyomar said Russian forces breached international humanitarian law in Ukraine by carrying out attacks that “killed and wounded thousands of civilians and created fear and terror."
The judges also found the human rights abuses went beyond any military objective and Russia used sexual violence as part of a strategy to break Ukrainian morale.
Dictating the verdict, the court also said, “The use of rape as a weapon of war was an act of extreme atrocity that amounted to torture."
The complaints were brought before the court’s governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion.
The ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, which is the continent’s foremost human rights institution.
Russia was expelled from the council over Moscow’s invasion and war in Ukraine. However, the court can still deal with cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion.
In 2023, the judges sided with Ukraine and the Netherlands in a challenge over jurisdiction, finding there was sufficient evidence to show areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels were “under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation," including providing weapons, and giving political and economic support.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
News world Russia Responsible For Downing Of Flight MH17 In Ukraine With 38 Australians: European Court
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