The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Wednesday that Russia committed multiple breaches of international law in Ukraine — including responsibility for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 — its first such verdict since Moscow’s 2022 invasion.
Delivering the judgment in Strasbourg, a 17-judge panel upheld four inter-state cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands, saying Russian forces and their separatist proxies “systematically violated” the European Convention on Human Rights in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The ruling covers a broad catalogue of abuses, from indiscriminate shelling and the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to the shooting-down of Flight MH17, which killed all 298 people on board, among them 196 Dutch citizens. The court said Russia’s “effective control” of rebel-held territory meant it bore legal responsibility.
Families of MH17 victims welcomed the decision. “It’s a real step towards understanding who was really responsible,” said Thomas Schansman, whose 18-year-old son Quinn died in the disaster.
The verdict is largely symbolic because Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022 and has ignored previous orders. Nonetheless, it gives legal weight to Kyiv’s claim that Moscow’s campaign since 2014 amounts to state-sponsored aggression.
Nearly 10,000 individual applications against Russia remain pending at the court, and Ukraine has filed fresh cases over the ongoing war, according to reports. Separately, the International Court of Justice has ordered Russia to cease hostilities, while Kyiv is pressing for a special tribunal to try senior Russian officials.
Wednesday’s judgment follows a Dutch criminal trial that in 2022 convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel in absentia of murder for their roles in the MH17 attack.
Russia has denied involvement and is expected to dismiss the Strasbourg ruling.
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The UN's International Maritime Organization has paused escort operations through the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo ship was reportedly attacked near Oman, with two U.S. officials accusing Iran of the attack.
The United Nations' top human rights official has called for independent investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration detention facilities, citing a rise in fatalities among people held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. At least 589 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency crews and international rescue teams race to respond.
An aircraft roughly the size of a car crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and a heavy police presence as authorities sealed off the area and gave no immediate explanation for the incident.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck Japan's northeast coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and no irregularities were found at nuclear facilities, the authorities said.
As Western Europe battles a deadly heatwave that has shattered temperature records, disrupted transport and power supplies, and forced the closure of schools and cultural landmarks, attention is turning to whether El Niño is playing a role in the extreme conditions.
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution on Wednesday that would have directed President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress formally authorised military action.
The Kremlin has denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming Moscow is pressuring Belarus to support an expanded Russian military campaign in Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. At least 589 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency crews and international rescue teams race to respond.
The United Nations' top human rights official has called for independent investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration detention facilities, citing a rise in fatalities among people held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
An aircraft roughly the size of a car crashed into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Friday evening, triggering a major emergency response and a heavy police presence as authorities sealed off the area and gave no immediate explanation for the incident.
Montenegrin police, working alongside the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation, have arrested an Iranian national accused of carrying out a series of cyberattacks that allegedly caused an estimated $3.4 billion in damage to U.S. infrastructure.
South Korea is set to dramatically expand its unmanned warfare capabilities, with plans to integrate drones across all branches of its military as tensions with North Korea continue to shape the country's defence strategy.
Fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have begun to recover following an interim U.S.–Iran agreement aimed at stabilising the waterway after months of disruption during conflict, industry data shows.
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