Families of Flight MH17 victims attempt to sue Vladimir Putin and Russia for £165m

'It’s very hard from the families to live with, this is a crime'

President Putin (AFP/Getty Images)

Russian president Vlamir Putin is reportedly being sued for a total of £165m by the families of passengers from Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine.

A compensation claim has been filed against Mr Putin and the Russian Federation by Australian law firm LHD Lawyers, which is seeking about £5 million per passenger in compensation for families of 33 of the victims, according to Australia's News.com.au.

The plane crashed on 17 July 2014, when it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, which was at the time the setting for fighting between pro-Moscow and pro-Kiev groups.

Neither side has admitted responsibility for the attack, which downed the plane and killed all 298 people on board. An investigation later concluded that the aircraft was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile.

The aviation lawyer who has taken on the case, Jerry Skinner, who also represented the families of the Lockerbie bombing, said Russia had not co-operated with the investigation into the incident.

“It’s very hard from the families to live with, this is a crime,” Mr Skinner told News.com.

“The Russians don’t have any facts for blaming Ukraine, We have facts, photographs, memorandums, tonnes of stuff.”

He explained the families were waiting to hear whether or not the case had been accepted by the European Court of Human Rights, adding they all had their fingers crossed.

“We didn’t go to Russia and file suit in Moscow because it’s absolute nonsense to think we could have a realistic chance of success,” he said.

“We plead futility, we plead danger and we plead their lack of co-operation.”