Third Anniversary of the Downing of Flight MH-17 by Russian-backed Terrorists

July 17, 2017. OTTAWA. On July 17, 2014 Malaysian Airlines Flight MH-17 was shot down over Russian-occupied territory in eastern Ukraine by Russian-backed terrorists. All 298 people on board the flight were killed. The Buk missile system used to shoot down MH-17 was made and supplied by the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian Canadian community expresses its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this terrible crime, including the family of Canadian Andrei Anghel. We join them in grief and solemn remembrance. May the Memory of the Victims Be Eternal.

The leadership of the Russian Federation bears direct and absolute responsibility for this act of international terrorism. In a shameful attempt to avoid accountability, the Russian Federation used its veto at the United Nations Security Council to block an international tribunal to investigate this heinous crime.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) calls on the international community to ensure that the perpetrators of this appalling act of murder are brought to justice. The UCC calls on Canada and her allies to declare the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk “Peoples’ Republics” terrorist organizations and designate the Russian Federation a state sponsor of terrorism.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has claimed over 10,000 lives. The blood of these victims is on the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.