3 pro-Russian separatists guilty of downing Malaysia Airlines flight in 2014, court finds

AMSTERDAM — Three former senior pro-Russian separatists are guilty of shooting down passenger airliner Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people, a Dutch court has found.

A fourth defendant was acquitted.

The defendants — three Russians and one Ukrainian — were high-ranking separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine who procured the missile that downed the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 jet.

The disaster on July 17, 2014, occurred during fighting between pro-Russia separatists and Ukrainian forces.

The Malaysia Airlines carrier was hit by a Russian Buk anti-aircraft missile while on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over contested territory in eastern Ukraine.

As most of the victims were from the Netherlands, the trial took place there.

Russia has always denied any responsibility and, despite evidence to the contrary, blames Ukraine for the shooting-down of the aircraft.

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