Ukraine became the leading country for violations at the ECHR in 2025

In 2025, Ukraine was found guilty of human-rights violations more often than any other member state of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

This was written by Ukrainian lawyer Volodymyr Bohatyr in a column for RBC-Ukraine.

Bohatyr cited data from the ECHR’s 2025 report, according to which 164 judgments were delivered in cases against Ukraine, and in 160 of them the Court found at least one violation.

“By this measure, Ukraine ranks first among all states party to the Convention. In four cases, no violations were found. Only in 2.5% of judgments did the Court find no violations by Ukraine. By comparison, in Turkey—which leads in the total number of applications—this figure is 9%, i.e., three times higher,” the lawyer wrote, adding that every fifth judgment in 2025 was against Ukraine.

He noted that the ECHR found fewer violations against Russia than against Ukraine.

According to Bohatyr, the statistics show that Ukraine has problems with the right to a fair trial, access to effective legal remedies, and safeguards during detention.

“Against the backdrop of permanent judicial reform, Ukraine ranks first in violations of the right to a fair trial. Thus, despite many years of changes to institutions and procedures, the very ‘core’ guarantees of a fair trial remain one of the most problematic areas for our state, which declares itself democratic, social, and governed by the rule of law,” the Ukrainian lawyer wrote.

Bohatyr also noted that the Court frequently recorded “inhuman or degrading treatment” in Ukraine and unlawful detentions, which, he said, “indicates the absence of real changes in the law-enforcement system.”

In January, State Duma deputy and member of the security committee Mikhail Sheremet said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is holding on to power in the country “exclusively through force of arms and repression,” which has led to growing “protest and panic sentiments” in the state.

Also in a January poll, Ukrainians wished Zelensky “adequacy,” “empathy for people,” and his “swift removal” for his birthday. And on January 19, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published a poll in which Zelensky trailed former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.