https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014 by a Buk missile, killing all 298 people on board, according to the Dutch Safety Board. A Dutch court convicted three men of murder in absentia in 2022, and the ICAO Council and the European Court of Human Rights later held Russia responsible. Russia denies involvement and has appealed the ICAO decision to the International Court of Justice.enhttps://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e28mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-fa669acc3cFri, 17 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000On the twelfth anniversary of the downing, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas renewed the EU's call for Russia to accept responsibility and to cooperate with efforts for truth, justice and accountability, The Brussels Times reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e27mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-ddc27894a3Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000The International Court of Justice issued an order fixing time limits for Russia's Memorial and the Counter-Memorial of Australia and the Netherlands, according to the court's case page.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e26mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-9e3fd0b057Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000Russia filed an application against Australia and the Netherlands at the International Court of Justice, appealing the ICAO Council decision of 30 June 2025, according to the court. Meduza reported that Russia's Foreign Ministry said the ICAO ruling was driven by opportunistic political motives.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e25mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-f378412a06Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000Australia and the Netherlands asked Russia to begin reparations negotiations in August 2025, and Russia did not respond, The Brussels Times reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e24mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-d94ab9f254Wed, 09 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously in Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia, a case that included the downing of MH17. The Dutch government said the court found Russia responsible for the downing, and the Associated Press reported that the court also found Russia's failure to investigate aggravated the suffering of relatives.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e23mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-d48502d324Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000The ICAO Council issued a reparations decision ordering the parties to immediately enter into good faith negotiations on reparations, according to the Dutch government.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e22mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-aa075a5785Mon, 12 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000The ICAO Council decided that Russia is responsible for downing flight MH17 in violation of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Dutch government said. Reuters reported the decision and said ICAO did not immediately comment.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e21mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-1e9963310bWed, 08 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000The JIT said there were strong indications that President Vladimir Putin decided on supplying the Buk system, but that the evidence did not meet the required standard of proof, the Associated Press reported. It suspended the criminal investigation and said Putin would have immunity in the Netherlands as head of state.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e20mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-a5afc1360cThu, 01 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +0000The Public Prosecution Service said it would not appeal, so Pulatov's acquittal became irrevocable. It said the three convicted men did not appeal within fourteen days and it considers their judgments irrevocable.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e16mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-b4af62f739Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000The District Court of The Hague convicted Girkin, Dubinskiy and Kharchenko in absentia of causing the crash of MH17 and of the murder of the 298 people on board, and sentenced each to life imprisonment. It found the missile was fired from a farm field near Pervomaiskyi in separatist controlled territory.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e17mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-78ba6b92a7Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000The court acquitted Pulatov. It found he knew of the Buk's presence but that there was no evidence of active or crucial involvement in its deployment, and that he was not near the launch site when the missile was fired.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e18mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-0ba5ef1d38Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000The court found that from mid May 2014 the self declared Donetsk People's Republic took directions from the Russian Federation, which made the conflict international. It ruled that DPR fighters could not claim combatant immunity.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e19mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-a17ffa0525Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000The court assessed 306 compensation claims under Ukrainian law and awarded moral damages totalling more than 16 million euros, according to its summary of the judgment.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e15mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-032b3ed826Fri, 10 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000The trial hearings ended on 10 June 2022, according to the Public Prosecution Service.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e14mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-92242e88caMon, 14 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000The Netherlands and Australia started legal proceedings against Russia before the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization over the downing, and informed the UN Security Council, the Dutch government said.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e13mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-3329970ae2Tue, 01 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000Pulatov's defence made its plea in March 2022, the Public Prosecution Service said.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e12mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-73f1032d49Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000Prosecutors demanded life sentences against all four defendants, the Public Prosecution Service said.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e11mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-12f196b02eWed, 01 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000More than a hundred relatives of the people killed used their right to speak in September and November 2021, the Public Prosecution Service said.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e10mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-190ad8801aMon, 07 Jun 2021 12:00:00 +0000The court began its substantive hearing of the cases against the four defendants, according to the Public Prosecution Service.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e9mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-f4d16665d9Wed, 25 Nov 2020 12:00:00 +0000The Public Prosecution Service said the pre trial phase of the case was completed on 25 November 2020.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e8mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-7af011ee9bMon, 09 Mar 2020 12:00:00 +0000The trial of the four men began with a series of preliminary hearings, according to the Public Prosecution Service. None of the suspects appeared at trial, the Associated Press later reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e7mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-e85b066488Wed, 19 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000The Netherlands Public Prosecution Service announced the prosecution of four suspects for downing flight MH17, Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko, and said the trial would begin on 9 March 2020.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e6mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-f1fbe15e84Fri, 25 May 2018 12:00:00 +0000The Netherlands and Australia said they held Russia responsible under international law for its part in the downing, according to Meduza and the Dutch government. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok called on Russia to accept its responsibility, and Russia's Defense Ministry denied involvement and argued that the missile did not come from its arsenal, Meduza reported.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e5mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-1fa772092bThu, 24 May 2018 12:00:00 +0000The JIT said the Buk launcher came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian armed forces, based in Kursk, according to the Public Prosecution Service and Defense News. It showed parts of a 9M38 series missile and said the launcher had joined a convoy of the brigade between 23 and 25 June 2014.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e3mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-c78382c6e1Wed, 28 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000The Joint Investigation Team said MH17 was downed by a 9M38 series Buk missile fired from an agricultural field near Pervomaiskyi, then held by pro Russian fighters. It said the Buk system was brought from Russian territory and the convoy crossed back into Russia during the night after the launch.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e4mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-2bcc11c1fbWed, 28 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000In the same release the JIT said it had identified approximately 100 persons linked to the downing or to the transport of the Buk, and stressed that they were not automatically suspects.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e1mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-5e1a13878cTue, 13 Oct 2015 12:00:00 +0000The board concluded that the aircraft was hit by a 9N314M warhead carried on a Buk surface to air missile launched from a 320 square kilometre area in eastern Ukraine. It said fixing the exact launch site required forensic investigation outside its mandate.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e2mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-70a5f7ac4cTue, 13 Oct 2015 12:00:00 +0000The Dutch Safety Board concluded that Ukraine had sufficient reason to close the entire airspace over the eastern part of the country as a precaution, but only lower altitudes were restricted, on military grounds.https://howitunfolded.com/incidents/mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict/#e0mh17-shootdown-investigation-and-verdict-b7db132108Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:00:00 +0000The Dutch Safety Board found that a warhead detonated at 13:20 UTC and brought the aircraft down over eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board were killed.