A decade after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine, justice remains elusive. As Dutch and international media report, families of the victims and the Netherlands continue their quest for accountability.
However, true justice extends beyond courtroom verdicts. It demands the defeat of the system that enabled this tragedy – a goal achievable only through Ukraine’s victory over Russian aggression.
MH17: crime and no punishment
On 17 July 2014, MH17 was shot down en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, claiming all 298 lives onboard. Investigations by the Dutch Safety Board and the Joint Investigation Team traced the Buk missile system responsible for the attack to Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in Kursk. Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia has persistently denied involvement, weaving a web of conflicting conspiracies – a tactic mirroring its broader aggression against Ukraine.
A decade later, justice remains unfulfilled. While a Dutch court in 2022 found two Russians and a Ukrainian guilty of murder, Russia refuses to extradite the suspects. Ongoing cases in the European Court of Human Rights and the International Civil Aviation Organization offer glimmers of hope, but fall short of comprehensive justice.
The lawyer representing MH17 victims’ families argues that true justice would require prosecuting the entire chain of military command up to the Kremlin and securing full compensation from Russia. Yet even this approach, while legally sound, fails to address the root cause – Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine – or prevent future tragedies.
Russia’s imperialism is the root cause of MH17 tragedy
From the Second Chechen War’s indiscriminate civilian bombings to the 2008 invasion of Georgia, the international community’s muted response only emboldened Putin’s regime.
Likewise, the West responded to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea with a slap on the wrist, imposing only limited sanctions against select officials and companies, letting Putin know that further aggression would not be prosecuted.
Emboldened by the West’s inaction, Putin funneled weapons and troops into eastern Ukraine, fanning the flames of war. The goal: squashing the new pro-Western government in Kyiv and installing a puppet regime instead to further his goal of resurrecting the Russian empire.
It was Russia’s unabashed and undeterred application of “might makes right” to destroy the free will of its neighbor that brought in the Buk air defense system into eastern Ukraine to shoot down Ukrainian military airplanes.
Instead, it hit MH17. The death, destruction, and misery that Russia had hurled at Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine hit a civilian airliner that was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The death, destruction, and misery that Russia had hurled at Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine hit a civilian airliner that was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Only after the deaths of Western European citizens in the MH17 crash, “a wakeup call for Europe,” in the words of Barack Obama, were more meaningful sanctions introduced.
However, they still failed to deter Russian aggression and were easily circumvented by Western profiteers like the Dutch builders of the Kerch bridge, who got off with a slap on the wrist for helping Russia build a military fortress in occupied Crimea through which Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Overwhelmingly, the West continued business as usual. France nearly sold its Mistral warships to Russia, halted only by public outcry. Germany built the Nord Stream gas pipes, increasing Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. Russian companies and oligarchs continued to have access to Western financial markets and institutions with only minor restrictions. Russia remained connected to SWIFT, and high-level diplomatic meetings continued; Russia even hosted major international sporting events, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with full Western participation.
Meanwhile, Russia quietly rearmed, modernizing its military and conducting exercises simulating attacks on NATO states. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was the culmination of years of unchecked aggression, nurtured by Western complacency and profit-seeking.
MH17, unfortunately, did not become a wake-up call. Russia’s war has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, led to over 100,000 war crimes, upended global stability, and caused immeasurable environmental damage.
Addressing the root cause of the MH17 tragedy, not the symptoms
As calls for negotiations with the Kremlin grow louder, we must recognize that the ultimate perpetrator of the MH17 tragedy is the Russian regime itself, emboldened by years of impunity. True justice will only be served when Russian leadership faces the Hague – an outcome achievable through Ukraine’s victory.
Critics may argue that equating justice with military victory oversimplifies the concept and undermines legal proceedings. However, this view ignores the limitations of traditional justice when confronting state-sponsored aggression. Ukraine’s victory doesn’t replace legal justice; it enables it by dismantling the system that obstructs investigations and shields perpetrators.
Others might contend that pushing for Ukraine’s victory risks escalating the conflict and increasing civilian casualties. Yet history shows that failing to decisively respond to Russian aggression has consistently led to greater escalation and loss of life.
From Chechnya to Georgia, from Crimea to Donbas, each unchecked act of aggression has only emboldened the Kremlin. Anything short of Ukraine’s victory would merely postpone further aggression, allowing Russia to regroup and launch even more devastating attacks in the future.
A Ukrainian victory would not only reduce the risk of future MH17-like tragedies but also dismantle Russia’s system of impunity. It would serve as a powerful deterrent on a global scale, sending a clear message that acts of aggression carry severe consequences.
Supporting Ukraine’s fight until Russia’s defeat is the most tangible way to honor MH17 victims. It ensures their deaths were not in vain but contributed to a safer, more just world order. This support is not merely a geopolitical imperative but a moral obligation to create a legacy of long-term international security – a fitting tribute to those lost in this tragedy.
Only through Ukraine’s victory can we achieve real justice for MH17 and establish a world where such atrocities are less likely to occur.
It’s time for the international community to unite behind this cause, recognizing that the path to true justice and lasting peace lies in decisively countering aggression and upholding the rule of law.
Related:
- I’m Dutch, here’s what I felt when Russia killed my people
- MH17 lawyer: full justice requires Kremlin accountability
- The most comprehensive guide ever to MH17 conspiracies
