Sri Lanka, May 13 -- Russia was responsible for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight, MH17, over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, the United Nations aviation agency has ruled.

All 298 people on board the passenger plane were killed when it was shot down by a Russian-made missile.

The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster.

On Monday, the UN's Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted that the Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law, which requires states to "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight".

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was struck down ov...