It sounded really encouraging at first:

“Judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have ruled that Russia is responsible for several international law violations during its war in Ukraine and the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 that killed 298 passengers and crew.” [RFE/RL, July 9, 2025.]

The ruling was handed down yesterday in a case brought by the Netherlands, which lost 196 of its citizens on the MH17 flight, and by Ukraine, which brought accusations against Russia of murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the kidnapping of Ukrainian children since the invasion on February 24, 2022.

The rulings, comprising some 501 pages, said that Russia’s human rights abuses in Ukraine violated international humanitarian law by the killing and injuring of “thousands of civilians” and “creat[ing] fear and terror,” and that “The use of rape as a weapon of war was an act of extreme atrocity that amounted to torture.” [Id.]

As to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which had been en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, the court found that it had been shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

The ECHR statement said, “Russia is responsible for the downing of flight MH17 and for the deaths of everyone on board,” and added that additional suffering had been caused the victims’ next of kin by Russia’s “denial of involvement and obstruction of investigations.” [Id.]

That all looks good in print. But, other than establishing an official record, what difference will it make?

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s reaction was simply to say that Moscow would ignore the judgment as “we consider it void.” [Id.]

And — while he is morally bankrupt — he is, unfortunately, factually correct. Because, although Russia was previously a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, it ceased to be a member when it was expelled from the Council of Europe following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Further, the ECHR itself has no enforcement authority . . . unlike the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has already issued criminal warrants against Vladimir Putin, who continues to evade arrest simply by not traveling to ICC member countries that would be obligated to take him into custody.

So if enforceable ICC warrants don’t bother Putin, why would he be concerned about a slap on the wrist from the ECHR?

The rulings of the ECHR were, of course, absolutely correct . . . and certainly much appreciated by the people of Ukraine and the Netherlands, and by the families of all of the victims.

But the response by the Kremlin was also true, as a purely practical matter: a tiger without teeth is merely a nuisance, and not to be given a second thought.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/10/25