Russian rocket against Boeing - Ukraine remembers shooting down Malaysian Flight MH17
Ten years after the shooting down of a Malaysian passenger plane over Eastern Ukraine with 298 fatalities, Kiev reminded of the tragedy. "The shooting down of Flight MH17 was a heinous act of Russian terror among many instances of Russian aggression against Ukraine throughout the decade", explained the Foreign Ministry in Kiev. Russia attempted from the beginning to hide its involvement with a "kill, lie, and deny" strategy.
"It is important to hold Russia and Russian criminals accountable", emphasized the Ministry in relation to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine ordered by the Kremlin. Moscow must be deprived of the feeling of impunity to end "terror and aggression" and achieve a just peace in Ukraine and other countries.
"Ten years ago, Russian killers shot down the Malaysian passenger plane MH17 in the Ukrainian sky", wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media X. The whole world saw then who started the war against Ukraine, and Russian evil is not just a threat to us.
Russia dismisses investigators' findings
Russia has denied any responsibility for the shooting since then. It dismisses the international investigation results and claims to have been excluded from the investigations. "Findings from the Russian side were not taken into account, we did not participate in the investigations, stated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the anniversary once again. In fact, Moscow has put forth numerous, even contradictory versions of the shooting over the years and attempted to hinder the investigations led by the Netherlands.
Commemoration in the Netherlands
On July 17, 2014, a Boeing 777 of Malaysia Airlines was shot down over the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. All 298 passengers died in the crash, many of them Dutch nationals. In the Netherlands, the victims will be remembered on the Wednesday afternoon.
A Dutch court ruled in 2022 that a Russian-made missile was used in the incident. Two Russians and an Ukrainian were sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment. However, despite the fighting between the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since the spring of 2014, Kiev did not close the airspace over the conflict zone for civilian flights.
- The Boeing 777 that was part of Flight MH17, operated by Malaysia Airlines, was a passenger airplane that tragically met its end over Eastern Ukraine.
- The tragic incident involving the Boeing plane caused a significant rift between Russia and the Netherlands, as Moscow continually dismisses its involvement in the incident.
- The Netherlands, being home to many of the MH17 victims, has been relentless in seeking justice, spearheading the international investigation into the downing of the Boeing plane.
- Russia's denial of responsibility for the Boeing's downing is a stark contrast to the findings of the international investigations, which indicted two Russians and an Ukrainian for their roles in the incident.
- Despite the ongoing conflicts and war in Eastern Ukraine, particularly in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Kiev maintained open airspace for civilian flights, including passenger airplanes like the Boeing that tragically met its end over Ukrainian skies.
- The Kremlin's consistent strategy of 'kill, lie, and deny' has been a source of ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, with the shooting down of the Boeing plane being a clear example.
- The presence of a Russian-made missile in the Boeing tragedy has been substantiated by a Dutch court, further solidifying international condemnation of Moscow's involvement in the incident.
