The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accused Russia of human rights violations during the Ukraine war and blamed Moscow for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
The Strasbourg court on Wednesday ruled that Russia violated human rights such as the right to life and the prohibition of torture in Ukraine via "manifestly unlawful conduct."
The impact of the decision is limited, as Russia does not recognize the court.
Regarding the downing of the passenger plane over eastern Ukraine 11 years ago, the judges said in a statement that Russia failed to verify the target of the missile and to protect the lives of those on board.
The Malaysia Airlines plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it was struck by a Russian anti-aircraft missile in eastern Ukraine. The missile was fired by pro-Russian rebels.
All 298 people on board were killed, including 196 Dutch nationals, 38 Australians and four Germans. Russia denies responsibility for the incident.
The judges also found that Russia established a system of violations of human rights between 2014 and 2022 during the conflict in eastern Ukraine, before and after Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to the ECHR, this included indiscriminate military attacks, executions of civilians and Ukrainian military personnel, torture and displacement.
The violations occurred between May 11, 2014, and September 16, 2022, when Moscow "ceased to be a party to the European Convention of Human Rights."
Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe following the 2022 invasion and is consequently no longer a member of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the court oversees.
However, the court - which is independent of the European Union - can still rule on incidents that occurred up to six months after expulsion.