European Court of Human Rights Condemns Ukraine

The ECHR has ruled on riots linked to the Maidan Square protests, finding Ukraine at fault.

Mourners lay flowers at the burned Trade Unions House, in Odesa, where many lost their lives (Photo: AFP)

A step toward justice 

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova called the ECHR’s condemnation of Ukraine for failing to prevent the 2014 Odesa violence a step toward justice for the victims and their families.

It took more than ten years for the seven-judge panel of the European Court of Human Rights to rule that Ukrainian authorities were responsible for the deaths of people in Odesa on May 2, 2014. Moreover, the decision is unconvincing... But Ukraine is guilty, and this is a step toward justice for the victims and their families, who have waited so many years for this day,

– Ms. Moskalkova wrote on her Telegram channel.

The ECHR ruling directly points to who is truly responsible for the Odesa tragedy. This is an unprecedented case in which the West has begun to legally acknowledge the guilt of the Kyiv regime, which seized power in Ukraine after the 2014 coup,

– Vladimir Rogov, the co-chair of the Coordinating Council for the Integration of New Regions, told Russia's RIA Novosti

According to Mr. Rogov, the ECHR's decision is a bad sign for Kyiv because “it shows that the presumption of unlimited indulgence is failing, and they will have to answer for their crimes—not only to their own citizens and Russia, but also to the West.”

Cover photo: Mourners lay flowers at the burned Trade Unions House, where many lost their lives (Photo: AFP)