Did Russia Deny ICAO’s Ruling on the 2014 Malaysia Airlines Crash?

Moscow, May 14 (NationPress) The Kremlin has dismissed the verdict of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council, which attributed blame for the 2014 Malaysia Airlines disaster to Russia.

The UN organization, ICAO, recently accused Russia of being responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17, 2014, over eastern Ukraine, resulting in the tragic loss of all 298 lives aboard.

"Russia will not acknowledge the Council's decision. It is illegitimate and contravenes the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its own procedural rules. Unlike the biased majority on the Council, Russia is committed to UN Security Council resolution 2166 (2014) and the pursuit of uncovering the true causes of the air crash," stated the foreign ministry of Russia.

The ministry firmly rejected any claims of Russia's involvement in the Malaysia Airlines incident.

"Last year, on June 17, 2024, Russia ceased its participation in this investigation as it was impossible to guarantee an unbiased inquiry due to numerous procedural violations by the ICAO Council and Secretariat. Nevertheless, Moscow's principled stance remains unchanged—Russia had no role in the MH17 crash, and allegations to the contrary by Australia and the Netherlands contradict the facts," it asserted.

"Previously, Russia provided the Council with compelling factual and legal evidence of its non-involvement in the crash and shared this information with all Council member countries. It was Kyiv that failed to close the airspace over the combat operations zone and used civilian passenger aircraft like MH17 as shields for its bombers," the ministry emphasized.

Earlier on Tuesday, during a press briefing, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked that Russia considers the findings from the MH17 crash investigation as biased and does not accept them.

"I will not comment further. Our viewpoint is well-known. Russia was not among the parties involved in investigating the incident. Hence, we do not accept any of the prejudiced conclusions," noted the spokesperson for the Russian presidency.

Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry reiterated that Moscow had repeatedly proposed that the Council undertake a comprehensive and independent international investigation into the MH17 crash in accordance with UNSC resolution.

"However, driven by political motives and in breach of established procedures, the Council declined to carry out such an investigation and instead accepted Australia's and the Netherlands' claims and the findings of the joint investigative team, which includes Australia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine—nations directly interested in portraying Russia negatively," the ministry highlighted.