Europe’s highest human rights court is set to issue a ruling Wednesday on cases against Russia concerning its actions during the conflict in Ukraine, including alleged human rights violations throughout the full-scale invasion and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg will decide on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, marking the first time an international court will assess Russia’s responsibility for the broader Ukraine conflict dating back to 2014.
While any decision will carry largely symbolic weight — as the court’s governing body expelled Moscow in 2022 following the full-scale invasion — families of MH17 victims view the ruling as a crucial milestone in their pursuit of justice.
“It’s a real step in understanding who was really responsible,” said Thomas Schansman, who lost his 18-year-old son Quinn in the tragedy.
The Boeing 777, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down on July 17, 2014, by a Russian-made Buk missile launched from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels. All 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch citizens, were killed.
In May, the United Nations’ aviation agency officially held Russia responsible for the disaster.
The ECHR is a key institution within the Council of Europe, the continent’s premier human rights body. Russia was expelled from the council due to its invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine, but the court can still hear cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion.
Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos
Last year, the court ruled in favor of Ukraine and the Netherlands in a jurisdictional challenge, determining there was sufficient evidence to conclude that areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatists were “under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation,” given Moscow’s provision of weapons and political and economic support.
Wednesday’s ruling will not be the last decision from the ECHR regarding the war. Kyiv has additional cases pending against Russia, and nearly 10,000 individual complaints have been filed against the Kremlin.
These decisions are separate from a criminal trial in the Netherlands where two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel were convicted in absentia for multiple murders linked to the MH17 downing.
Meanwhile, in 2022, the United Nations’ top court ordered Russia to cease military operations in Ukraine during ongoing proceedings—a directive Russia has ignored.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally approved plans to establish a new international court to prosecute senior Russian officials for the full-scale invasion.
Schansman, who has also filed a personal case with the ECHR, said he intends to continue seeking justice more than a decade after his son’s death. “The worst thing we could do is stop fighting,” he told The Associated Press. “MH17 is not a case that will disappear for Russia.”