Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight over Ukraine that Russians shot down 8 years ago

On Thursday, July 17, 2014, 283 passengers and 15 crewmembers boarded a plane to Malaysia. 68% of the passengers were Dutch while most of the other passengers were Malaysians and Australians. For many of them, Malaysia was a transfer point to continue to Australia etc. Delegates to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne were among the passengers. Boeing 777 was almost full.

It was shot down after flying for 3 hours just before crossing from Ukraine into Russian airspace. Russia immediately accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was a logical story in their minds: Ukraine used the army against the separatists who did not have sophisticated arms. They did not care that all these were outright lies. The separatists were on Russian payroll, under the command of ex-KGB officers, and supported by the regular army that illegally entered the Ukrainian territory with modern missiles like the ones that downed the Malaysian passenger plane.

The Dutch Safety Board issued the final report in a year and 3 months. The governments of the Netherlands and Australia issued a joint statement in May 2018, in which they put the responsibility for this terrible tragedy on Russia.

An international trial has been convened, and held oral hearings in March 2022 as planned. Such trials take time because of the due process and the need to give opportunities for the accused to react. Russia used all the procedural reasons to slow it down and sabotage it.

This act of terror and a long trial should be a lesson for dealing with the current acts of terror that Russia commits against Ukraine every day since February 24, 2022.

Rest in peace, the victims of Russian terrorism! No matter how slow, justice will be served!

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