Malaysia Airlines plane
Malaysia Airlines planeiStock

The governments of Australia and the Netherlands announced on Monday that they were pursuing joint legal actions against Russia through the UN aviation agency over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014.

The Being 777 flight was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 17, 2014. While over eastern Ukraine, an area held by rebel forces, the plane was hit by a Russian surface-to-air missile, and all 298 on board where killed.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Russia had violated international law. He added he was taking up the issue with the UN International Civil Aviation Organization, Reuters reported.

There were 38 Australian on board the plane.

Australia is also demanding full reparations from Russia, along with the country’s suspension of veto power in the the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

“The death of 298 civilians, including 196 Dutch, cannot and should not remain without consequences.” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a statement.

Both countries said they would present evidence that the MH17 was downed by a Russian surface-to-air missile system moved from Russian to eastern Ukraine by Russian-backed rebels, and then returned to Russia after the plane was shot down.

Moscow has always denied involvement in the planet’s downing.

Australia and the Netherlands had been negotiating with Russia until Moscow unilaterally left the talks in 2020.