On the 12th anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed support for Australia and the Netherlands, whose citizens perished in the tragedy, and emphasized the importance of ensuring the accountability of Russia – the state of aggression – and individuals involved in crimes resulting from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
"Today, the international legal responsibility of the Russian Federation for the downing of flight MH17, as well as the responsibility of the perpetrators of this crime, has already been confirmed by decisions of international and national judicial institutions, including the District Court of The Hague, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Telegram on Friday.
"Ukraine reaffirms its unwavering support for Australia and the Netherlands in connection with the Russian Federation’s attempt to challenge the ICAO Council’s decision, in which Russia was found guilty of the MH17 tragedy. No procedural manipulations can change the established facts or relieve Russia of international legal responsibility for this bloody crime," the statement emphasizes.
It is noted that Ukraine will continue to work consistently with international partners to ensure the inevitability of accountability for the state of aggression and all individuals involved in crimes committed as a result of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. "Only by establishing the truth, restoring justice, and holding the perpetrators accountable can we guarantee that the world will never see such tragedies again," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed.
On July 17, 2014, Russian servicemen and individuals under their direct control shot down a civilian passenger aircraft, flight MH17 of Malaysia Airlines, in the sky over the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region of Ukraine using a Buk surface-to-air missile system (Buk-TELAR) delivered from the territory of the Russian Federation. The victims of this act of Russian terror were 298 innocent people—citizens of various countries around the world.
"The MH17 tragedy confirms that justice is impossible without accountability, as the impunity of an aggressor inevitably breeds new crimes and new human suffering. Ukraine will continue to work consistently with international partners to ensure the inevitability of accountability for the state of aggression and all individuals involved in crimes committed as a result of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. Only by establishing the truth, restoring justice, and holding the perpetrators accountable can we guarantee that the world will never see such tragedies again," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized.
"On the twelfth anniversary of this tragedy, we bow our heads before all the victims of the MH17 flight tragedy and express our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones," the statement says.
