Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes near the border of Ukraine and Russia after being shot down. All 298 people on board are killed

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down on July 17, 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, was en route at an altitude of approximately 33,000 feet when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

Flight Path and Incident: MH17 was flying over the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine during the war in Donbass. The flight was struck by a Buk surface-to-air missile system, which is believed to have been fired from an area controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

Casualties: All 298 people on board were killed. This included 283 passengers and 15 crew members. Among the victims were citizens from the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada, and New Zealand.

Investigations: Several investigations were conducted to determine the cause and responsibility for the crash. The Dutch Safety Board led the primary investigation into the incident, which concluded that the aircraft was downed by a Buk missile launched from rebel-held territory in Ukraine.

Responsibility and Legal Actions: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), consisting of representatives from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine, conducted a criminal investigation. They concluded that the missile system used to shoot down MH17 was transported from Russia to Ukraine and then back to Russia after the attack. In November 2022, a Dutch court found three men guilty of murder for their roles in the downing of MH17. These men were linked to the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.