Russia Challenges ICJ Decision on MH17 Case, Claims Legal Errors

Russia has submitted an appeal to the International Court of Justice regarding a ruling that holds Moscow accountable for the 2014 downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, an incident that resulted in the deaths of 298 individuals, as announced by the court on Friday.

The legal action was initiated by Australia and the Netherlands, which suffered the highest number of casualties in the tragedy. They are seeking to have Russia accept liability for the incident and provide compensation.

On July 17, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was struck by a Russian-made BUK missile in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, an area where pro-Russian separatists were engaged in conflict with Ukrainian forces.

In May, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the aviation authority of the United Nations, determined that the case brought forth by Australia and the Netherlands was «well founded in fact and in law.»

In its appeal submitted on Thursday, the International Court of Justice stated that Russia argued the ICAO had made «errors in fact and in law» pertaining to the 1944 Chicago Convention on international aviation.

Moscow contended that «the Convention does not apply to scenarios involving armed conflict,» further asserting that investigators had overlooked «the evidence provided by the Russian Federation.»

In 2022, a Dutch court sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment in connection with the downing, including two Russians; however, Russia has denied their extradition.