10 years since downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17
Exactly a decade ago, on 17 July 2014, flight MH17 was downed over eastern Ukraine. All 298 occupants were killed, including 193 Dutch people and four Belgians.
The Malaysia Airlines passenger plane had left Schiphol Airport bound for the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur but was hit by a Buk anti-aircraft missile over the Donetsk oblast. This was fired from eastern Ukraine, which was then partially under the control of pro-Russian separatists. Investigations into the crash suggest that attempts have been made to cover up the causes of the disaster. Parts of the plane are said to have been removed from the crash site.
Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility for MH17’s destruction. It has also refused to hand over two Russians and a Ukrainian convicted by a Dutch court in absentia in 2022 of murder. But the Netherlands and Australia - 38 Australians were killed - continue to pressure Moscow under international law through the European Court of Human Rights and the International Civil Aviation Organization Council.
Several ceremonies in memory of the victims will take place in Europe on Wednesday. The largest will be in Vijfhuizen, near Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, where the plane took off. It is the site of the memorial to the 283 passengers and 15 crew members who died.
Ahead of the event’s 10th anniversary, the European Union has reiterated its call on the Russian Federation to “accept its responsibility in this tragedy and to cooperate fully in serving justice.”
A woman places flowers at Schiphol Airport after the MH17 crash © BELGA PHOTO ROBIN UTRECHT
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