The ECHR is ready to hold the Russian Federation accountable for human rights violations in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recognized complaints filed by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia regarding alleged human rights violations in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine and the destruction of the MH-17 airliner. The verdict issued does not contain a decision on the merits of the case, but it shows that the court considers that Russia can be held responsible for human rights violations in regions which, according to the court’s decision, “from May 11, 2014 at least until January 26, 2022 were under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. “Among other things, the court found that the separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine were under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation from May 11, 2014 until at least January 26, 2022,” the court said in a statement. a decision issued on Wednesday. The cases will now proceed to the merits stage, which is expected to take another one to two years before a final decision is made. The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights opens the door to at least three other complaints between Ukraine and Russia, as well as thousands of individual cases which have been suspended pending a decision on jurisdiction. “This is a clear signal for Russia,” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted, saying the court’s decision to recognize the cases as admissible was “an important step”.