Family of American killed in downed MH17 jet sues Russian banks

Under the US Antiterrorism Act, the Schansman family are suing Sberbank of Russia, VTB Bank, Western Union Co and Western Union Financial Services, MoneyGram International Inc and MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc for providing services to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

Censor.NET reports citing Voice of America.

The family of an American killed when a Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down over Ukraine in 2014 filed a lawsuit on Thursday against US-based money transfer companies and two Russian banks they accuse of providing services to the group they blame for striking Flight MH17.

MH17 was brought down over territory held by pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine as it flew from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board. About two-thirds of the passengers were Dutch.

American Quinn Lucas Schansman, 18, was aboard MH17 on his way to meet his parents for a family vacation.

"We realize that we will never get our son back. But we are committed to shedding light on – and holding accountable – all who participated in his murder," his father Thomas Schansman said in a statement.

"Defendants’ provision of material support to the DPR was a substantial factor in the DPR’s ability to launch a missile from territory it controlled — an attack that killed Quinn and 297 other innocent victims," according to the lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York.

Western Union said it took its regulatory and compliance responsibilities seriously, adding: "While we don’t comment on the details of pending litigation, we believe the claims asserted in this complaint are without merit."

VTB Bank said it had not received the complaint and was unable to comment on it, but added: "We’d like to firmly emphasize that VTB has never been or is in any way involved in financing of the Donetsk People’s Republic."