Eastern Ukraine - Ten years since MH17 missile launch - Remembering the tragedy
Ten years after the shooting down of the Malaysian passenger plane MH17 over the Eastern Ukraine, commemoration was held in the Netherlands and Ukraine for the 298 victims. In the presence of King Willem-Alexander, relatives read out the names of all the deceased at the national monument at Amsterdam Airport.
Representatives of the Netherlands and Australia confirmed that Russia must be held accountable for the shooting down of the Boeing. 196 victims were from the Netherlands, 38 from Australia. Four Germans were killed.
On July 17, 2014, the Boeing of Malaysia Airlines was shot down by pro-Russian rebels with a Russian surface-to-air missile over contested territory in Eastern Ukraine. According to international investigations, the missile system of the type Buk was transported from a Russian military base across the border into Eastern Ukraine and returned there after the shooting down. It was still the early phase of the fighting, which eventually led to Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine in 2022.
The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte promised that the affected countries would continue their fight for justice relentlessly. "We have time, patience, perseverance." The General Prosecutor of Australia, Mark Dreyfus, also confirmed that every effort would be made to hold Russia accountable. "There were 298 innocent people," said the chairman of the Victims' Association, Piet Ploeg. "For ten years we have had to miss them, a permanent empty place."
Sunflowers like at the crash site
Hundreds attended the memorial service, including relatives of the victims and representatives of the most affected countries: the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Great Britain, Belgium, and Ukraine. People laid sunflowers at the monument surrounded by 298 trees. Debris of the machine and human remains had fallen among sunflower fields at the crash site. The village in the Donezk region is currently under Russian occupation.
The Ukrainian leadership in Kiev also remembered the tragedy. "Ten years have passed since Russian murderers shot down the passenger plane MH17 in the sky over Ukraine. The whole world saw who started the war against Ukraine," wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media X. The Russian evil is a threat not only to my country. Russia has from the beginning tried to hide its involvement with a "kill, lie, deny" strategy, the Foreign Ministry declared.
Russia denies any responsibility
Two Russians and an Ukrainian were sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia by a Dutch court in 2022 for murder in 298 cases. Russia denies any responsibility and refuses to extradite the men. Moscow continues to claim that it was excluded from the investigations under Dutch leadership. "Our findings were not taken into account, we did not participate in the investigations, said Kreml spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the anniversary once again. In fact, Moscow has over the years put forward numerous, even contradictory versions of the shootdown and tried to undermine the investigations under Dutch leadership.
- The shooting down of the Malaysian passenger plane MH17 in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 resulted in a significant conflict between the Netherlands and Russia.
- The Boeing 777, belonging to Malaysia Airlines, was shot down over contested territory in Eastern Ukraine, resulting in the loss of 298 lives, including 196 Dutch and 38 Australian passengers.
- The international community, including the Netherlands and Australia, accused Russia of providing the pro-Russian rebels with the missile system used to shoot down the flight, leading to calls for accountability.
- King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands attended a commemoration ceremony in Amsterdam for the victims of MH17, where relatives of the deceased read out their names.
- The Dutch government, along with its international partners, vowed to continue their fight for justice, citing patience, perseverance, and time to achieve accountability.
- Australia, as one of the most affected countries, reinforced its commitment to holding Russia responsible for the downing of the passenger flight.
- The Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur, as well as other affected countries like Great Britain, Belgium, and Ukraine, also joined in commemorating the victims of MH17.
- Ten years after the tragedy, Russia continues to deny any responsibility for the shooting down of the Boeing and refuses to extradite the individuals implicated in the incident.
- Thevlive debate surrounding the accountability for MH17 and its impact on air traffic, particularly between the Netherlands and Russia, has been a subject of ongoing political conflicts.
