The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found Ukraine guilty of inaction during the clash between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists in Odesa on May 2, 2014, when 48 people died.
The courtʼs decision was published on its website.
The plaintiffs include relatives of the 25 people who died that day, as well as three people who survived the fire in the Trade Union Building. The relatives of two pro-Ukrainian activists joined the lawsuit. Despite their differences of opinion, they made claims against Ukraine, primarily for its inaction, believing that the state could have prevented the tragic consequences.
In its decision, ECHR emphasized several times that the Russian Federation and its propaganda against Ukraine played a significant role in these tragic events.
“Various publicly available video evidence confirms that the pro-Russian movement ʼKulikove Poleʼ in Odesa relied to a large extent on aggressive and emotional disinformation and propaganda messages about the new Ukrainian government and Maidan supporters, voiced by the Russian authorities and the media. [...] The court believes that such disinformation and propaganda could also have influenced the tragic events in these cases,” the document states.
The court also emphasized that many Odesa officials responsible for violations by Ukraine soon fled to Russia, obtained Russian citizenship, and even built careers there against the backdrop of Russiaʼs large-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
Among them is the then head of the Odesa Department of the State Emergency Service Volodymyr Bodelan. ECHR emphasized that the only reason for the 40-minute delay of fire engines to extinguish the Trade Unions Building was Bodelanʼs instruction "not to do anything without his clear order". Two years after the events of May 2, he fled to Russia, and during his stay in Odesa, no criminal case was even initiated against him.
The court also highlighted the passivity of the Odesa police, who failed to respond adequately to the attack by anti-Maidan protesters on pro-Ukrainian activists, which triggered the main clashes in the city. The court highlighted the police’s failure to demonstrate any serious attempt to stop the initial wave of violence against Maidan activists, as well as the existence of clear signs of collusion between the police and anti-Maidan activists. The deputy head of the regional police Volodymyr Fuchedzhi later fled to Russia.
Ultimately, the court concluded that Ukraine “failed to initiate and conduct an effective investigation” into the tragic events in Odessa on May 2. As a result, the ECHR found Ukraine guilty of violating Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which concerns the right to life. Ukraine must pay €15 000 in compensation to the relatives of each of the deceased, and €12 000 to the three claimants who survived but suffered serious burns.
The highest compensation of €17 000 is to be received by the daughter of Mikhail Vyacheslavov, who burned to death in the Trade Union Building. She also complained about the authoritiesʼ unjustified and prolonged refusal to release her fatherʼs body for burial.
- On May 2, 2014, massive clashes took place in Odesa between patriotic citizens, supported by the ultras of “Metalist” and “Chornomorets”, and pro-Russian separatists. Then, on Oleksandrivskyi Avenue, a group of armed unknowns from among the anti-Maidan protesters attacked the “For a United Ukraine” march, as a result of which one person died. At the same time, the anti-Maidan protesters fired automatic weapons under the cover of the police. After the clashes in the city, the epicenter of the events moved to “Kulikove Pole”, where the anti-Maidan tent camp was located and where the separatists fled. The latter later hid in the House of Trade Unions, where a fire broke out due to Molotov cocktails. 48 people died in the House of Trade Unions, more than 200 were injured.
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