Flight MH17 shot down by Russia, says top court

EUROPE’S top human rights court has ruled that Russia was behind the downing of Flight MH17 - the first time Moscow has been named by an international court as being responsible for the 2014 tragedy that claimed 298 lives.

- KALI LINDSAY

Tynesiders Liam Sweeney and John Alder were among the people killed in the crash as they travelled from Amsterdam to Malaysia on July 17, 2014.

Devoted Newcastle United supporters Liam, 28 from Killingworth and John, 63, from Gateshead, were heading to New Zealand to watch the Magpies play in preseason when the plane crashed over Ukraine.

In a separate ruling yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russia violated international law during the conflict in Ukraine, the first time an international court has found Moscow responsible for human rights abuses since the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Judges at the court in Strasbourg are ruling on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, encompassing a wide range of alleged human rights violations during the full-scale invasion since the start of the war, including the downing of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and kidnapping Ukrainian children.

Any decision will be largely symbolic. The complaints were brought before the court's governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion.