ECHR finds Russia guilty of systemic human rights violations – Justice Ministry
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recognized the systematic and massive human rights violations committed by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine since 2014 and during the full-scale invasion since 2022, the Ministry of Justice has reported.
"Today, on July 9, 2025, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights announced its decision on the admissibility and merits in the interstate case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia", in which it satisfied almost all the complaints of the Government of Ukraine filed against the Russian Federation," the Ministry of Justice said in a message on its Telegram channel.
The ministry called the ECHR decision unprecedented and "one of the most significant in the practice of interstate cases."
"The court not only confirmed the systematic and massive human rights violations committed by the Russian Federation since 2014 in the occupied territories of Ukraine and during the full-scale aggression, but also outlined the broader legal context. In particular, the ECHR recognized that Russia is waging a targeted campaign to destroy the Ukrainian state as a subject of international law. The court emphasized that the Russian Federation's aggression is not limited to Ukraine - it is a global threat that calls into question the very idea of coexistence of states in the legal field. In particular, Russia demonstrates hostility towards other member states of the Council of Europe," the ministry saud.
It is noted that the court pointed out the incompatibility of the current Russian regime with the goals, values, and fundamental principles of the Council of Europe.
"Over 10 years of work on this case, the Ministry of Justice has collected and submitted a large-scale array of evidence to the ECHR. Thanks to this titanic work, Ukraine has today received a result that can be called a victory in the international arena and another significant step towards ensuring the comprehensive responsibility of the Russian Federation," the Ministry of Justice said. As reported, the interstate case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia" combined four interstate complaints against the Russian Federation to the ECHR from Ukraine and the Netherlands: "Ukraine v. Russia" No. 8019/16 - violations during the armed conflict in Donbas, in particular the shooting down of MH17, torture, forced labor, etc., "Ukraine v. Russia" No. 43800/14 - the abduction and illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation in 2014, "Netherlands v. Russia" No. 28525/20 - the circumstances and consequences of the shooting down of flight MH17 and "Ukraine v. Russia" No. 11055/22) - gross violations of human rights during the full-scale invasion from February 24, 2022.
The Russian Federation stated that it does not recognize the decisions of the ECHR and does not intend to implement them on the claims of the Netherlands and Ukraine.
The Boeing-777 of Malaysia Airlines, operating flight MH17 Amsterdam (Netherlands) - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), was shot down in the sky over the Donetsk region of Ukraine (temporarily occupied part) on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board died.
