Relatives of those killed when MH17 was shot down mark 10 years since tragedy that claimed 298 lives

VIJFHUIZEN, Netherlands — Relatives of passengers and crew killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine gathered in Australia and the Netherlands on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed 298 lives, of which over half were Dutch

Hundreds of family members — set to read out the names of all the victims — joined the Dutch king, politicians and diplomats at an event at a memorial in the Netherlands close to Schiphol, the airport the Kuala Lumpur-bound Boeing 777 departed from on July 17, 2014.

“Ten years on, the grief remains profound. The Netherlands remains determined to seek truth, justice, and account and accountability for the downing of Flight MH17,” the Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement.

Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus represented his country at the Dutch memorial site, where 298 trees were planted to commemorate each victim and sunflowers, like those that grew at the crash site, were sowed.

Many of the families arriving for the service also carried sunflowers, laying them next to trees. Flags of the countries that lost citizens hung at half-staff next to a field of blooming sunflowers.

A similar ceremony was held at Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra.

The commemorations take place as conflict continues to rage across Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022 and as families called on Moscow to acknowledge blame.

“I don’t think anyone intended to bring down a passenger plane. So in that sense, I’m heartbroken that the conflict continues,” Paul Guard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. His parents, Roger and Jill Guard were among 38 Australian citizens and permanent residents killed.

“But I think that a lot of families would really have just liked an acknowledgment that what happened was wrong and that Russia should not have been waging war,” the son added.

The pro-Russia rebel-held border region from where a Soviet-era Buk surface-to-air missile was fatefully launched and the fields where much of the debris landed after the Boeing 777 disintegrated is now territory controlled by the Russian military.

Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for MH17’s destruction and refused to hand over two Russians and a Ukrainian separatist convicted by a Dutch court in absentia in 2022 of murder.

“Although the court formally found Russian puppets guilty, the Kremlin authorities led by Putin and his accomplices are behind this crime,” Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement published on Facebook.

Russia continues to be pursued under international law by the Netherlands through in the European Court of Human Rights and by Australia and the Netherlands jointly through the International Civil Aviation Organization Council, or ICAO, over its alleged role in bringing down MH17.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told Wednesday’s service in Canberra that she was “appalled” that Russia had withdrawn from the ICAO proceedings in June.

“The case will continue and we will not be deterred in our commitment to hold Russia to account,” Wong told the gathering that included foreign diplomats.

The Netherlands was home to 196 victims. As well as Australia, victims also came from Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, the Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, Vietnam, Israel, Italy, Romania, the United States and South Africa.

An international investigation initiated in the U.N. Security Council by the Netherlands, Malaysia and Australia concluded that the Buk missile system that destroyed MH17 belonged to the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. The investigation concluded the missile was driven into Ukraine from a Russian military base near the city of Kursk and returned there after the plane was shot down.

Malaysia reiterated its commitment to seek justice and hold those responsible for the tragedy accountable.

“The Government of Malaysia is resolute that the process must pursue truth, justice and accountability,” the transport ministry said in a statement.

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