The Hague-based court said that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 by a Russian-made missile fired from a field in eastern Ukraine and that Russia had overall control of separatist forces at the time when the plane was struck, the Reuters news agency reported.
The ruling was issued in the case of four men with links to Russia accused of mass murder for their alleged roles in the downing of the flight, according to Reuters.
Three of the men were tried in absentia and the fourth pleaded not guilty via lawyers he hired to represent him; none attended the trial, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: "Important court decision in The Hague. First sentences for the perpetrators of MH17 downing. Holding to account masterminds is crucial too, as the feeling of impunity leads to new crimes. We must dispel this illusion. Punishment for all Russian atrocities then and now is inevitable."
On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down while flying over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, killing everyone on board, most of them from the Netherlands. Dozens of them were Australian citizens.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP
