Image: Netherlands Ministry of Defence via Dutch Safety Board
The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says Russia “failed to uphold its obligations under international air law” in connection with the July 17, 2014, downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
The crash of the Boeing 777 in Hrabove, Ukraine, killed all 298 occupants of the airplane, which was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Dutch Transportation Safety Board, which investigated the crash, said it was caused by the detonation of a warhead fired from a Buk surface-to-air missile system developed by the Soviet Union, and later, the Russian Federation.
The missile strike occurred as the 777 flew at 33,000 ft over an area of armed conflict near the border between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine had prohibited flights below 32,000 ft.
ICAO said in a statement issued after the May 12 vote that it was the first time the Council has used its dis…
