European Court Condemns Russia for Rights Violations in Ukraine

The European Court of Human Rights highlights Russia's involvement in the war in Ukraine through symbolic rulings, underscoring the country's growing international isolation.

The European Court of Human Rights delivered a significant verdict on Wednesday, finding Russia culpable for the tragic downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 over eastern Ukraine, alongside identifying various human rights abuses that have arisen from its military actions in the region. Though largely symbolic, these rulings mark a crucial step in spotlighting Russia's increasing international isolation amid ongoing conflict.

The court ruled in favor of four cases presented by Ukraine and the Netherlands, all asserting Russia's intrusion into Ukraine's affairs, encompassing everything from the downing of Flight MH17 to the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children to Russian territory. The rulings underscore the extent of Russian military involvement in the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has been unfolding since 2014, preceding their full-scale military invasion in 2022.

Flight MH17, which was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was tragically shot down in July 2014 by a missile, leading to the deaths of all 298 passengers aboard, the majority of whom were Dutch citizens. A Dutch court in 2022 attributed responsibility for the disaster to a Buk missile system provided by the Russian military to the separatist groups. Earlier this year, the United Nations’ aviation authority also attributed accountability to Russia for the incident.

In its ruling, the European Court determined with unanimity that the missile was deployed “either by a member of the Russian military crew of the Buk truck or Russia-backed separatists.” The court asserted it did not need to ascertain the precise individual responsible for launching the missile, as both the military and the separatists were under Russian control.

The Dutch foreign ministry welcomed the court’s verdict on Wednesday, describing it as “a significant milestone on the journey to justice.”