Ukraine loses almost 98% of cases at European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights. Photo: osce.usmission.gov

In February 2026, data from the European Court of Human Rights’ report for 2025 were published. According to those figures, Ukraine loses an overwhelming majority of the cases examined against it, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing ECtHR statistics.

According to the data presented, since 2020 Ukraine has lost about 95% of the cases that reached Strasbourg. In the 2025 report, this indicator rose to 97.6% – meaning that in practice almost all complaints against the state are upheld.

In addition, Ukraine remains among the leading countries in the number of applications filed by citizens with the European Court. This suggests that a significant share of applicants do not find effective protection of their rights within the national judicial system and are forced to seek recourse at the international level.

The pattern of judgments against Ukraine continues on a regular basis – the Court considers complaints connected with alleged human rights violations in criminal and other judicial proceedings. Against this backdrop, the scale of lost cases is fueling renewed debate over the state of the country’s legal system and the effectiveness of safeguards for citizens’ rights.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a demographer explained how the combination of migration and natural population decline leads to the loss of about 1.15 million Ukrainian citizens per year.

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