A Dutch court on Thursday convicted and handed down life sentences to two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist for the murders of 298 people in the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
Following a trial that lasted more than two years, Judge Hendrik Steenhuis ruled that evidence presented by prosecutors proved that the Boeing 777 was brought down by a Buk missile fired by pro-Moscow fighters in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region of Ukraine on July 17, 2014. The plane was on route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur at the time.
The three convicted men did not attend their trial. They can appeal the ruling.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechaev said Moscow was not yet ready to comment on the convictions. He said the Ministry would “study this decision.”
