logo
Moscow reacts to UN aviation agencys MH17 vote

Moscow reacts to UN aviation agencys MH17 vote

Malaysia Sun14-05-2025

The investigation into the shootdown of the passenger airliner in Ukrainian airspace in 2014 was biased against Russia, the Foreign Ministry said
Russia has rejected the UN civilian aviation agency's claims that it was responsible for the 2014 downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine. Moscow insisted that the Dutch-led investigation into the incident was politically motivated and relied on "questionable" evidence submitted by Kiev.
"Moscow's principal position remains that Russia was not involved in the crash of MH17, and that all statements to the contrary by Australia and the Netherlands are false," the Foreign Ministry said on its website on Tuesday.
The statement came after the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted that Russia failed to uphold its obligation to "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight."
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board, most of whom were Dutch, Malaysian, and Australian nationals. The incident occurred as Ukrainian troops were attempting to retake the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, which voted to secede following the Western-backed coup in Kiev. The two entities later voted to become part of Russia in September 2022.
In 2015, the investigation - conducted by the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine - concluded that the plane was shot down by a Soviet-era Buk surface-to-air missile system delivered by Russia to the Donbass militias. Moscow denied providing heavy weapons to local forces and argued that the aircraft was hit by a version of the missile used by Ukrainian, not Russian, troops. It also criticized its exclusion from the investigation.
The Foreign Ministry condemned the ICAO Council's decision as politically motivated, alleging "multiple procedural violations." It said the ICAO ignored "ample and convincing factual and legal evidence" submitted by Russia to demonstrate its non-involvement in the shootdown.
"The conclusions of the Dutch investigation were based on the testimonies of anonymous witnesses - whose identities were classified - as well as on questionable information and materials submitted by a biased party: the Security Service of Ukraine," the statement read.
The Foreign Ministry added that Ukraine should ultimately be blamed for the tragedy because Kiev "launched a military operation in Donbass under the false pretense of combating terrorism."
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that, because Russia was not part of the investigation, it "does not accept biased conclusions."
(RT.com)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Gaza war hurts my whole body, says Guardiola
Gaza war hurts my whole body, says Guardiola

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

Gaza war hurts my whole body, says Guardiola

MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester on Monday and used his acceptance speech to address the war in Gaza. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack. Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza. 'It's so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body,' Guardiola said. 'It's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour. 'Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital anymore. It's not our business. 'But be careful. The next four- or five-year-old kids will be ours. Sorry, but I see my kids, Maria, Marius and Valentina. When I see every morning since the nightmare started the infants in Gaza, and I'm so scared.' Guardiola was recognised for his contribution to the city, including guiding his team to six Premier League titles in nine years with the club, along with his charitable work through his Guardiola Sala Foundation. The 54-year-old Spaniard was presented with his honorary degree by the University's Chancellor Nazir Afzal at Whitworth Hall.

EU proposes lowering Russia oil price cap in new sanctions
EU proposes lowering Russia oil price cap in new sanctions

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

EU proposes lowering Russia oil price cap in new sanctions

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday proposed slashing a price cap on Russia's global oil exports, as part of a new package of sanctions over the Ukraine war. The move comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada next week where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin. 'We are ramping up pressure on Russia, because strength is the only language that Russia will understand,' European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. 'Our message is very clear, this war must end. We need a real ceasefire, and Russia has to come to the negotiating table with a serious proposal.' The European Commission, the EU's executive, suggested cutting the current oil price cap from $60 to $45 as Moscow drags its feet on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the world. The oil price cap, set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount. To have most impact the EU and other G7 partners need to get the United States to follow suit and agree to the cut in the level. But Trump so far has frustrated Western allies by refusing to impose sanctions on Russia despite President Vladimir Putin's failure to agree a Ukraine ceasefire. 'My assumption is that we do that together as G7,' von der Leyen said. 'We have started that as G7, it was successful as a measure from the G7, and I want to continue this measure as G7.' European leaders last month threatened Moscow with 'massive' sanctions if it did not agree a truce, but there has been no major progress in US-led peace efforts. 'Russia lies about its desire for peace. Putin is taking the world for a ride. Together with the United States, we can really force Putin to negotiate seriously,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. As part of its 18th round of sanctions since Russia's 2022 invasion, the EU also proposed measures to stop the defunct Nord Stream gas pipelines from being brought back online. Officials said they would also look to target some 70 more vessels in the 'shadow fleet' of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs. The EU in addition is looking to sever ties with a further 22 Russian banks and add more companies, including in China, to a blacklist of those helping Moscow's military. One EU diplomat described the latest proposals as 'one of the most substantive and significant packages we've discussed recently'. 'It will hurt Russia's ability to finance its war machine. Now let's see how the discussions evolve.' The sanctions will need to be agreed by all 27 EU countries, and could face opposition from Moscow-friendly countries Hungary and Slovakia.

Russian opposition figure arrested for calling for Ukraine ceasefire
Russian opposition figure arrested for calling for Ukraine ceasefire

The Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Sun

Russian opposition figure arrested for calling for Ukraine ceasefire

MOSCOW: Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg -- one of the last public figures openly criticising Moscow's Ukraine offensive still in Russia and not in prison -- was arrested on Tuesday, his party said. Amid its military campaign, Russia has intensified a campaign against dissenters and opponents, ushering in strict military censorship laws and jailing critics for years. Shlosberg, 61, is a well-known former lawmaker in Russia's western city of Pskov and a longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin. The Yabloko party, of which he is a member, said he was detained for calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine -- which Russia has been resisting for months despite international pressure -- in a video debate earlier this year. 'Lev Shlosberg was sent to a temporary detention centre as a defendant accused of repeated 'discreditation' of the army,' the press service of the Yabloko party said in a statement. It earlier said authorities opened a criminal case against Shlosberg over a January video 'in which the politician defended his position on the necessity of a quick ceasefire' in Ukraine. The party said security services searched Shlosberg's home and offices in Pskov -- as well as the home of his 96-year-old father. He is due in court Wednesday, it added. Shlosberg has already twice been fined for discrediting the army, a law adopted by Moscow days after it launched its Ukraine offensive and which has been widely used to silence dissent. Most high-profile opposition figures have fled Russia amid the crackdown. Exile figures have criticised Shlosberg for not denouncing the offensive strongly enough and for criticising Ukrainian counter-attacks. A long-time critic of the Kremlin, Shlosberg has been denouncing Moscow's actions in Ukraine since 2014, when it annexed the Crimea peninsula and backed pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. That included highlighting instances of Russian soldiers killed fighting Kyiv's troops at a time when Moscow denied its troops were taking part in the conflict.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store