Ukraine Marks 12 Years Since MH17 Downing, An Act of Russian Terror

UkrainianPresident Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday marked the 12th anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, honoring the 298 victims and calling for accountability for Russian crimes.

“Twelve years ago, Russia shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, killing 298 innocent people,” Zelensky wrote on X.

The president expressed solidarity with the victims’ families and all the nations that lost citizens in the July 17, 2014 tragedy.

“The downing of MH17 was nothing but a terrorist act,” Zelensky wrote, arguing that terror against civilians has become a defining feature of Moscow’s policy toward its neighbors, the wider world and even its own people.

Zelensky stressed that the international community must remain committed to pursuing justice and accountability for Russia’s actions.

“It is important to ensure that the world doesn’t turn a blind eye and that for every Russian crime – both against Ukrainians and against other people – there is justice and accountability,” he wrote.

Flight MH17 was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile over occupied eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers and crew members on board were killed.