Express & Star

MH17 relatives protest over lack of Russian action with 298 empty chairs

Each chair represented one of the victims who died when a missile shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014.

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Netherlands Ukraine Plane

Families of people killed when a missile shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 have staged a silent protest in the Netherlands against Russia’s lack of co-operation in the investigation.

They set out 298 white chairs outside the Russian embassy in The Hague.

Netherlands Ukraine Plane
Each of the 298 empty chairs represented one victim of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 (Peter Dejong/AP)

Each chair represented one of the victims who died when a Buk missile fired from territory held by separatist rebels shot down the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight on July 17 2014, killing everybody on board.

Sunday’s protest came on the eve of the start of the Dutch trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with murder for their alleged roles in the missile strike.

Netherlands Ukraine Plane
A sign and a rose are placed next to the empty chairs (Peter Dejong/AP)

Russia has denied any involvement.

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