A lawyer acting for relatives of some people passengers of ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. against Igor Girkin, the leader of Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.

Aviation specialist Floyd Wisner said he filed the lawsuit at Chicago court to seek redress for 18 of the families whose relatives were aboard the flight which crashed in July 2014.

The families want compensation to the totaling 900 million dollars from Girkin, local media reported on Thursday, citing the content of the lawsuit.

A missile attack on the aircraft killed all 298 people on board.

The Ukrainian government accused Girkin’s forces of firing the missile, but he has previously denied responsibility for the attack.

Wisner’s lawsuit said Girkin “ordered, aided and/or abetted this action and/or conspired with those persons who fired the missile or missiles,” accusing Russia of complicity.

“Defendant Girkin acted with the actual or apparent authority of individuals in the government of Russia,” it said.

Wisner also represents families of MH17 victims in a lawsuit against the airline