All 298 passengers and crew were killed when a Russian missile hit the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 in 2014. It was flying over an area of the Donetsk region held by Russian-backed forces fighting Ukrainian troops. President Zelensky said the convictions were “significant” as the Russian military, including mercenaries, continued to commit war crimes. “It is necessary that those who ordered it also end up in court because the feeling of impunity leads to new crimes,” he said. “Punishment for all Russian atrocities – then and now
