Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 tragedy, the EU once again condemned Russia’s crime and urged it to acknowledge its responsibility for the downing of the civilian flight over temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory.
In 2014, a BUK missile system, transported from Russia to a field in Eastern Ukraine, shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board.
“On 17 July, we honor the memory of the 298 innocent people, including 80 children of 17 nationalities who lost their lives in the downing of ‘Malaysia Airlines’ Flight MH17 ten years ago. The ten-year commemoration brings back very painful memories.
We renew our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims,” its statement says.
The EU Council emphasized that in 2022, the District Court of The Hague sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment for their role in the downing of Flight MH17. The evidence presented by the Joint Investigation Team in the proceedings before the Dutch District Court “makes it abundantly clear” that the BUK surface-to-air missile system used to bring down Flight MH17 belonged to the “armed forces of the Russian Federation.” Despite the facts and international investigation, Moscow continues denying the involvement of its individuals in the incident.
“No Russian disinformation operation can distract from these basic facts established by a court of law,” its statement claimed.
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