- विज्ञापन -
Moscow: Russia has rejected the decision made by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council, which attributed responsibility for the 2014 Malaysia Airlines crash to Russia.
The UN-affiliated organization recently claimed that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, an incident that resulted in the deaths of all 298 onboard.
Russia’s foreign ministry stated that it would not recognize the ICAO Council’s ruling, calling it illegitimate and in breach of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and the council’s procedural rules. The ministry emphasized that Russia remains committed to UN Security Council resolution 2166 (2014) and continues to seek the true causes of the crash.
The ministry denied any involvement in the incident, explaining that Russia suspended its participation in the investigation last year, on June 17, 2024, citing procedural violations and the inability to ensure an impartial inquiry. They maintained that Russia has no connection to the crash and dismissed allegations made by Australia and the Netherlands as factually incorrect.
Russia also claimed to have provided compelling evidence of its non-involvement, which it shared with all Council members. The ministry accused Ukraine of refusing to close airspace over the conflict zone, allegedly using civilian aircraft like MH17 as human shields for military operations.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed disapproval of the investigation’s findings, describing them as biased and refusing to accept them. He stated that Russia was not involved in the investigation process and therefore rejects its conclusions.
Furthermore, Russia pointed out that it had proposed an independent, thorough international investigation of the crash in line with UNSC resolution, but the Council refused, instead accepting the allegations and findings of the joint investigative team composed of Australia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine—countries that, according to Russia, are interested in demonizing Moscow.
