The Netherlands Court of Audi published on 25 November 2025 a new update of the costs incurred by the Netherlands government on account of the downing of Flight MH17 by a Russian Buk missile above Ukraine in 2014. The Court of Audit has updated its cost assessment at the request of the government. Total costs, including those incurred in calendar year 2024, have risen to €209.8 million.
The Court of Audit published earlier cost assessments in February 2024 and November 2024.
All 298 passengers and crew, including 196 Dutch nationals, lost their lives when Flight MH17 was downed on 17 July 2014.
Cost of legal proceedings, commemoration and archiving
The increase in the cost assessment from the previous year of more than €11.2 million is due, among other factors, to international legal proceedings and diplomacy, criminal prosecution and identification. Costs were also incurred in 2024 for the compensation paid to the next of kin, memorial services and miscellaneous costs for training courses on flights over conflict zones, archiving and safekeeping, and the operation of IT systems. As in previous years, costs were incurred for the management and maintenance of the National MH17 Monument. Indexation for inflation also increased the aggregate cost to the government.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs incurred costs for proceedings at the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada. In May 2025 the ICAO Council ruled in the case brought by the Netherlands and Australia that the Russian Federation had violated the Chicago Convention. Russia has appealed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague against the ruling.
Dutch diplomatic missions and legal experts incurred costs for several cases taken to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. In July 2025, the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR ruled that the Russian Federation was responsible for the downing of Flight MH17 and the death of all 298 people on board.
The assessment of the cost incurred since the Flight MH17 disaster does not include costs incurred by individuals and businesses. The suffering endured by the families of those killed in the disaster cannot be expressed in money.
Assessment is part of the State’s application for compensation
The government is using the cost assessment in the legal proceedings at the ICAO. The Court of Audit will continue to update its assessment until the government submits its final application. The government is still in talks with Australia to determine whether a joint application should be submitted; many Australians were also killed in the disaster.
The updated assessment has been sent to the ministers concerned and to the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Court has also informed the MH17 Air Disaster Foundation established by the next of kin.