Case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia": ECHR to announce decision today
Kyiv • UNN
The European Court of Human Rights will announce its decision on July 9 in the case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. the Russian Federation". The case concerns systemic human rights violations in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the downing of flight MH17.
Today, July 9, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will announce its decision in the case of "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. the Russian Federation" regarding systemic human rights violations in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the downing of flight MH17, writes UNN.
Details
The announcement of the decision will take place at the ECHR premises in Strasbourg, France, at 11:00 local time (12:00 Kyiv time). The case is the largest interstate case in the history of the ECHR, combining four applications and covering the period from 2014 to the present. It concerns systemic human rights violations in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including events of Russia's full-scale invasion.
In its interim decision of January 25, 2023, the ECHR already recognized that from May 2014 until at least January 2022, the occupied territories of Donbas were under Russia's jurisdiction. The Court also established that the downing of flight MH17 occurred in a territory that was under the effective control of Russian occupation administrations.
"Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea)"
This case was Ukraine's first interstate application on which the European Court of Human Rights ruled on the merits. It covers events from February 27, 2014, when Russia established control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
By its decision of June 25, 2024, the Court recognized numerous human rights violations by the Russian Federation: the right to life, liberty and personal inviolability, freedom of thought and religion, access to education, property rights, and protection from discrimination.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of ECHR judgments, called on Russia to immediately release political prisoners, stop torture and the transfer of prisoners, and ensure the unhindered operation of international monitoring bodies in Crimea. The Committee emphasized that despite withdrawing from the Council of Europe, the Russian Federation is obliged to comply with the Court's decisions.
"Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia: Donbas, MH17 and the full-scale war
This is the largest interstate case, combining four applications at once: No. 8019/16, 43800/14, 28525/20, and 11055/22. It covers the period from 2014 to the present and concerns crimes in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The case also includes complaints about Russia's actions during the full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022.
A separate part of the proceedings is the Netherlands' application regarding the downing of Malaysian Boeing flight MH17 in July 2014, which killed all 298 people on board.
The ECHR established that the downing of flight MH17 occurred in a territory that was under the effective control of Russian occupation administrations, and therefore the events fall under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation.
On January 25, 2023, the ECHR declared the case partially admissible and proceeded to consider the merits. Given the scale of the violations, 26 states and a number of international organizations joined the case as third parties. It is expected that the ECHR will soon make a decision and proceed to consider the issue of just satisfaction.
"Ukraine v. Russia (VIII)": aggression in the Kerch Strait
This case concerns Russia's attack on three Ukrainian military vessels in the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018, and the capture of 24 Ukrainian sailors. The application is based on evidence of unlawful detention, inhumane conditions of detention, and the absence of fair trial.
The ECHR obliged Russia to provide proper medical care to the wounded and to clarify the legal grounds for detention. However, Moscow did not comply with the court's decision.
As of March 2024, the ECHR has received comments from the Government of Ukraine on the merits of the case and is preparing for further consideration.
"Ukraine v. Russia (IX)": Russian practice of eliminating Kremlin opponents
The last active interstate case - No. 10691/21 - concerns the practice of politically motivated killings, which, according to Ukraine, Russia carries out both on its territory and beyond - particularly in the territories of Council of Europe member states.
This refers to high-profile murders and assassination attempts on opponents of the Putin regime, which, according to Ukraine, are part of a deliberate state policy.
The ECHR registered the case in 2021, and in April 2025, it informed the government of the Russian Federation about its communication. Poland and Lithuania have already joined the case as third parties, and six other states have received requests from the Court for information. This is the first interstate application in which Ukraine, at the international level, raises the issue of politically motivated killings as a component of Russia's state policy before the Court.
