The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has delivered an important judgment in the case “Ukraine and the Netherlands v. the Russian Federation”. The case concerns the tragedy of flight MH17, which was shot down over the Donetsk region in July 2014. The judgment carries profound legal and political significance for Ukraine.
The Court found that since 2014, Russia has been committing widespread and systematic human rights violations in Ukrainian territories under its temporary control. These violations include:
- torture and abduction of journalists;
- extrajudicial executions;
- forced silencing and persecution of media outlets;
- seizure of Ukrainian media resources and broadcasting frequencies;
- destruction of information infrastructure.
In delivering its ruling, the Grand Chamber of the ECHR took into account the materials collected and presented by the Ukrainian media regulator on international platforms. Notably, in paragraph 1332 of the judgment, the Court directly cites the speech of Olha Herasymiuk, Chair of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, delivered at the 55th meeting of the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities:
“Russian aggression against Ukraine began in 2014 as a ‘hybrid war’, in which sophisticated propaganda played a key role. As early as spring 2014, Ukraine lost 175 frequency allocations in areas seized by the so-called ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’. Following the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, Russia captured 284 additional frequencies, and 164 Ukrainian broadcasters were forced to cease operations. These frequencies were subsequently used to transmit Russian media content.”
The ECHR recognized that Russia’s actions in the information space constitute a systematic purge of the Ukrainian media sphere. These actions were found to be violations of international law, and the responsibility of the Russian Federation has been legally established. This means that Ukraine will not have to prove these violations ‘from scratch’ in future international tribunals – the evidence has already been collected, examined, and documented in the ECHR decision.
It is particularly significant that part of the ECHR’s judgment is based on the work of the Ukrainian media regulator. The team of the National Council – including analysts, lawyers, and experts – actively participated in the collection, verification, and submission of evidence. These materials have now become part of an international legal document that defends not only Ukraine’s interests, but also those of the entire world striving to uphold truth, freedom, and the international rule of law.
