298 empty chairs again placed outside Russian Embassy to honor the MH17 flight victims

A silent memorial protest honoring the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was held Sunday outside the Russian Embassy in The Hague, where the Werkgroep Waarheidsvinding MH17 placed 298 empty chairs to represent each person killed when the passenger jet was shot down in 2014 over eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists while flying from Amsterdam to Malaysia. The display included 298 chairs arranged in the seating pattern of the aircraft, with each chair symbolizing one of the victims. Among those killed were 196 Dutch nationals.

This was the ninth consecutive year that relatives and supporters have organized the silent protest. The group said the annual action is intended to maintain public attention on the disaster and to press for continued accountability from Russia.

A spokesperson for the group said the Russian Embassy has never issued any response to the protest since it began. Russia has denied involvement in the downing of the aircraft and the deaths of the 298 people on board.

The Werkgroep Waarheidsvinding MH17 said it hopes Russia will accept responsibility for downing the aircraft. It described Russia’s refusal to do so as “disrespectful and cowardly.”

In 2025, Russia appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to challenge a ruling by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council that found Moscow responsible for downing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.