• The UN aviation council has determined Russia was responsible for the MH17 air disaster in 2014.
• All 298 passengers aboard were killed, including 196 Dutch and 38 Australian citizens.
• Australia and the Netherlands are calling for reparations from Russia following the ruling.
• The Kremlin has rejected the findings as biased and illegitimate.
• This ruling marks a historic decision regarding international accountability for air disasters.

The UN aviation council has ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, leading to the deaths of all 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch and 38 Australian citizens. The ruling was welcomed by the Dutch and Australian governments, which stated that the claims presented to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) were "well-founded in fact and in law," emphasizing that Russia failed to uphold its obligations under international air law, according to scmp, reuters, and channelnewsasia.

The ruling also signals that the ICAO will initiate discussions regarding reparations. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp described the decision as an important step toward achieving justice for the victims and their families, while Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged the ICAO to swiftly determine remedies for this "horrific act of violence," as reported by bbc, lemonde, and aljazeera.

In response, Moscow has categorically rejected the ICAO's conclusions, denouncing them as biased. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia did not participate in the investigation and labeled the findings as illegitimate, while asserting that Ukraine bears primary responsibility for the tragedy. This stance has been reiterated by various Russian officials, reflecting consistent denial of involvement in the incident, as noted by indiatimes and thejakartapost.

Flight MH17, which was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down on July 17, 2014, using a Russian-made BUK missile amidst ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. The judicial outcomes following the tragedy include sentences for three individuals involved in the attack, though Russia's refusal to extradite them complicates justice efforts, as detailed by indiatimes and bbc.