New Report Suggests Russian Military Responsibility for MH17

A controversial new report emerged today, accusing Russian military forces of firing the missile that downed Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014. The report's conclusions have not been confirmed or endorsed by other experts or representatives of the Joint Investigation Team responsible for investigating culpability for the incident, and at this point it would be premature to make assumptions about the accuracy of the analysis. If true, however, it would dramatically change the international law implications of the tragedy. The operating theory until now has been that the aircraft was downed by Ukrainian separatists, non-State actors who would likely prove difficult to bring to justice. If this was an act of representatives of the Russian state new possibilities will be introduced, including reparations, sanctions, and international tribunals.