Russia was responsible for the defeat of Malaysia Airlines’ MH17 flight through eastern Ukraine in July 2014.
All 298 people on the passenger plane were killed when they were shot down by Russian-made missiles.
The Kremlin has always denied responsibility for air disasters.
On Monday, the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council voted that the Russian Federation did not support its obligations under international aviation law.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 had been moving from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was attacked in the Donbas region of Ukraine during a conflict between Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces.
The majority of the passengers and crew, 196 people, were from the Netherlands.
There were also 38 people from Australia, 10 British people, and nationals from Belgium and Malaysia on board.
The lawsuit against the United Nations was filed in 2022 by the Australian and Dutch governments.
“We call on Russia to face responsibility for this horrifying act of violence and to compensate for the terrible act,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said he marked “an important step in establishing truth and achieving justice and accountability.”
It sent a clear message to the international community, adding that “states cannot violate international law with immunity.”
In 2022, a Dutch court ruled that a Russian-controlled group defeated the plane and that two Russians and a Moscow Ukrainian citizen were convicted of murder in the absence of the country.
All trioes were sentenced to life in prison, but have not been extradited and have not spent time in prison.
