Netherlands Commemorates 10th Anniversary of MH17 Tragedy

The Netherlands commemorated on Wednesday the 298 victims of flight MH17 that was shot down over Ukraine 10 years ago with a ceremony attended by the bereaved and representatives from Malaysia, Australia, Britain, Belgium, and Ukraine. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, during conflicts between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces, a precursor to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

All 283 passengers and 15 crew members, including 196 Dutch citizens, lost their lives. An international investigation concluded that a Russian missile system was responsible. During the ceremony at the MH17 monument in Vijfhuizen, loved ones read the names of all the victims. Former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has been critical of Russia, was applauded for his efforts to maintain global attention on the incident.

The Dutch court convicted two former Russian intelligence agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader for their roles in the incident. Prime Minister Dick Schoof noted that a conviction doesn’t necessarily mean imprisonment. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba condemned Russia's actions and disinformation. EU's outgoing foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Russia to accept responsibility, pointing to evidence that the missile system belonged to Russia's armed forces.

(With inputs from agencies.)