RUSSIA condemned attempts to use the shooting-down of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine a year ago for “propaganda” at the UN security council on Monday.

Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin tabled a resolution saying “the establishment of the true causes of this aerial incident is critical for bringing those responsible to justice” and suggesting that the International Civil Aviation Organisation “could play a more active and appropriate role in this investigation.”

Mr Churkin told reporters after a meeting of the council: “The media is currently creating an atmosphere of heavy propaganda pressure.

“But despite this climate, I felt a desire among the security council to avoid joining in the propaganda and instead to help with an investigation that will lead to a court hearing.

“We kept on repeating a completely obvious thing, that the UN security council should not engage in the creation of criminal courts, as the Malaysian initiative calls for,” he added.

Russia opposed a draft resolution submitted by Malaysia earlier this month on behalf of the five countries — Malaysia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Australia and Belgium — investigating the shooting-down of flight MH17 which calls for the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators.

The Kiev regime and its Western allies claim that anti-fascist forces in the eastern Donbass region shot the plane down, killing all 298 people on board, but Russian investigators have produced evidence they claim shows Kiev’s forces were responsible.

A Dutch investigation into the crash site and the airliner’s “black box” data recorders has still not released its findings.