European Court Finds Russia Responsible for Human Rights Violations 

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday found Russia responsible for human rights violations linked to its invasion of Ukraine and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine a decade ago that killed 298 people, the Independent reported. 

The ECHR ruled on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands, marking the first instance in which an international court has adjudicated Russia’s responsibility for the broader conflict in Ukraine dating back to 2014. 

The cases include murder, torture, rape, the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The final ruling combined four complaints, three relating to the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that started in 2014, and one concerning alleged breaches of international law following the invasion. 

In all the cases, all 17 judges unanimously found Russian forces violated international humanitarian law. 

One of the complaints brought by the Netherlands related to the July 2014 downing of Flight MH17, a passenger plane flying from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine. The ruling is the first time an international court has held Russia accountable for the incident. 

However, the court ruling remains mainly symbolic, as the cases were submitted before the court expelled Russia in 2022, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the creation of a new special international tribunal, a court that would prosecute senior Russian officials for their involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, Russia hit Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles, specifically targeting the capital, Kyiv, on Wednesday, part of an escalation in the conflict over the past few weeks that includes the largest drone attack of the three-year war, the Washington Post noted. 

The attack came shortly after US President Donald Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and promised to resume weapons deliveries to Ukraine, which were halted recently. 

“I’m not happy with Putin, I can tell you that much right now, because he’s killing a lot of people,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “We get a lot of bulls— thrown at us by Putin. You want to know the truth? He is very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”