Russia was responsible for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight, MH17 which killed all 289 passengers and crew, the United Nations aviation agency has ruled. The Boeing 777 aircraft was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was allegedly shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine on July 17 2014 as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces

The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster. Among the victims were 196 Dutch citizens, 38 Australians, 10 Brits, as well as Belgians and Malaysians. In a landmark decision on Monday, the UN's Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted that the Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law, which requires states to "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight".

The council found the allegations by Australia and the Netherlands as "well founded in fact and in law," and said Russia had "failed to uphold its obligations under international air law."

The governments of Australia and the Netherlands said the ICAO would in the coming weeks consider what form of reparation was in order, the case was first brought to the UN in 2022.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp welcomed the ruling, calling it “an important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability for all victims of Flight MH17.” He added that it sends “a clear message to the international community: states cannot violate international law with impunity.”

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong also applauded the decision, and urged the ICAO to move swiftly to determine remedies.

She said: “We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct, as required under international law."

In 2022, a Dutch court convicted two Russian men and one Ukrainian in absentia, sentencing them to life in prison for their alleged roles in the attack. However, Moscow called the ruling “scandalous” and said it would not extradite its citizens. They have not served time in jail.

In 2023, a team of international investigators from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine said there were “strong indications” that Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had personally signed off on a decision to supply the missile that downed flight MH17.