The ECHR recognized the genocide of Ukrainians by the Russian Federation - this is a historic decision.

The European Court of Human Rights has made a historic decision in the interstate case 'Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia'. It satisfied almost all the complaints of Ukraine that were submitted against the Russian Federation. This decision was announced by the representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

What exactly did the court determine

The decision, which spans almost 500 pages, confirms systematic and mass violations of human rights by Russia in the occupied territories of Donbas and during the full-scale invasion since February 2022.

The ECHR ruling clearly states:Russia seeks to destroy Ukrainian statehood and the Ukrainian people;Russia's actions are incompatible with the goals and principles of the Council of Europe and pose a threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire world order.

The court recognized a number of human rights violations by Russia:

• Kidnapping and illegal detention of Ukrainian civilians;
• Brutal treatment and torture of civilians and prisoners of war;
• Mass deportation of Ukrainians, including children, from the occupied territories;
• Systematic violation of the right of citizens to communicate in the Ukrainian language.

The court also drew attention to Russia's crimes against Ukrainian children, recognizing the illegal removal of children from occupied territories and the deliberate amendments to Russian legislation to impose Russian citizenship and facilitate the adoption of Ukrainian children.

The court also noted the indoctrination of Ukrainian children by Russia, which interferes with their education and language, and called for all Ukrainian children to be returned home, creating an international independent mechanism for this.

Ukraine's and the world's efforts

Recently, a resolution condemning Russia's kidnapping of children has been introduced in the US Congress, and Volodymyr Zelensky signed documents for the ratification of a special tribunal over Russia. The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case 'Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia' recognized systematic and mass violations of human rights by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine, calling for the return of Ukrainian children home. Ukraine and the world continue to seek to identify and punish those responsible for the violations.