UN body rules Russia responsible for taking down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 that killed 298 people nearly 11 years ago

A UN body has officially ruled Russia 'violated international law' and is responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came down over eastern Ukraine.

The passenger plane had taken off from Amsterdam and was set for Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down.

All 298 people on board the plane - including 196 Dutch citizens and 38 Australian citizens or residents - were killed.

On Monday (May 12), the United Nations' Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled Russia was responsible for the downing of the plane - despite the Kremlin having always denied any responsibility.

It found that the plane was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile while flying over eastern Ukraine as pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces fought.

The ICAO said in a statement released Monday evening: "The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) today voted that the Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

"This represents the first time in ICAO’s history that its Council has made a determination on the merits of a dispute between Member States under the Organization’s dispute settlement mechanism."

And the statement goes on to break down how Russia broke the law in further detail.

MH17 was shot down in 2014 (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

It continued: "The Council agreed that the claims brought by Australia and the Netherlands as a result of the shooting down of Flight MH17 on 17 July 2014, were well founded in fact and in law.

"The case centered on allegations that the conduct of the Russian Federation in the downing of the aircraft by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine constitutes a breach of Article 3 bis of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which requires that States 'refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight'."

The decision came after 'written submissions and oral hearings' were looked into across 'multiple council sessions' and the document detailing the formal decision is set to be released at a later date.

And now Australia and the Netherlands are calling for the council to order Russia to enter negotiations for reparations.

298 people on board the plane lost their lives (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, said: "We call upon Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for this horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Caspar Veldkamp, said in a statement: "The decision is an important step towards establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability for all victims of Flight MH17, and their families and loved ones.

"This decision also sends a clear message to the international community: states cannot violate international law with impunity."

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