Top European court delivers series of damning rulings against Russia

The European Court of Human Rights delivered damning judgments Wednesday against Russia in four cases brought by Kyiv and the Netherlands accusing Moscow of atrocities in Ukraine dating back more than a decade.

Judges ruled that Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law — from shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 17 in 2014, to the murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnapping of Ukrainian children after Moscow's full-scale invasion of 2022.

Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July 17, 2014, using a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels loyal to Moscow. All 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 196 Dutch citizens

The judges found that Russia's refusal to acknowledge its involvement in the Flight MH17 disaster also violated international law. Russia's failure to properly investigate “significantly aggravated the suffering” of the relatives and friends of the dead.

In May, the UN’s aviation agency found Russia responsible for the disaster. The separatist conflict that broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014 killed about 14,000 people before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, which is the continent’s foremost human rights institution. The court’s governing body expelled Moscow in 2022 in response to the all-out invasion.

However, the court can still deal with cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion and, legally, the country is still obliged to participate in the proceedings.

The court will rule on financial compensation at a later date but Russia’s departure leaves little hope that damages will ever be collected.