Top European court rules Russia violated international law in Ukraine

Europe's top human rights court has ruled that Russia is responsible for atrocities and violations of international law in Ukraine, including the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg announced on Wednesday a unanimous ruling finding Russia formally responsible for shooting down flight MH17 with a Russian Buk missile, resulting in the deaths of all 298 people on board, most of them Dutch citizens.

The verdict represents the first international court decision attributing state-level responsibility to Russia for the tragedy.

Alongside MH17, the court ruled that Russia systematically violated human rights, including the use of sexual violence, torture, and abductions, across Ukraine since 2014.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the judgment, saying, "We won't abide by it, we consider it void."

Ukraine welcomed the symbolic judgment, hailing it as a "historic" and "undeniable victory" for the country.