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Comment by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the ECHR decision in the case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

09 July 2025 16:32

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomes the decision of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the admissibility for consideration of the case 'Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia'.

This unprecedented event has historic significance for all of Europe and especially for the Netherlands, Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

The European Court confirmed: The Russian Federation bears responsibility for numerous and systematic violations of the European Convention on Human Rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine since 2014.

The Court recognized that Russia's armed aggression was accompanied by large-scale and deliberate human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions, tortures, deportation of children, destruction of private property, suppression of freedom of speech, religion and education in the Ukrainian language.

This is the first decision by an international judicial institution in which Russia has been officially recognized as responsible for shooting down Flight MH17 in 2014. The Court unequivocally stated: the death of 298 civilians is a violation of the right to life and cannot be justified by any circumstances. Russia has also been found guilty of attempting to obstruct the investigation of the tragedy through disinformation and falsifications.

The Court paid special attention to Russia's crimes against Ukrainian children. The illegal displacement and adoption of Ukrainian minors has been recognized as an administrative practice that contradicts the Convention. The Court also obligated Russia to cooperate without delay in creating an international mechanism for identifying and returning displaced children.

In its decision, the ECHR directly emphasized: Russia's actions are unprecedented in the history of the Council of Europe and pose a threat to peaceful coexistence on the continent. The Court clearly indicated the Russian Federation's intention to destroy Ukrainian statehood and subjugate the Ukrainian people. In our opinion, this testifies to the genocidal nature of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes: despite the termination of membership in the Council of Europe, Russia remains legally obligated to comply with the Court's decisions according to Article 46 of the Convention. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the implementation of this decision, and Ukraine will work with partners to ensure that all established violations are properly compensated.

The ECHR decision is an important and significant step on the path to bringing Russia to international legal accountability for its aggression and violations of international law.

Ukraine will continue to persistently seek justice for all victims, including through the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, an international compensation mechanism, and the return of deported children.