Russia Refuses to Pay ECHR Compensation to Georgia

Russia will not comply with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling ordering it to pay over €253 million to Georgia for human rights violations linked to the aftermath of the 2008 war, Orda.kz reports, citing The Caucasian Knot.

ECHR judges had found Russia responsible for abuses following the tightening of the administrative border with Abkhazia and South Ossetia after the conflict. In 2023, the court also ordered Moscow to pay an additional €129 million in compensation.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia “will not comply with the decision."

When asked whether payment might improve relations with Georgia, he replied that it was “a separate matter.”

Georgia maintains that Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain occupied territories, and severed diplomatic ties with Moscow after Russia’s intervention and recognition of their independence in 2008. Russia’s refusal to pay comes amid discussions of rapprochement between the two countries, set against the backdrop of Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections.

Russia withdrew from the European Convention on Human Rights in September 2022, but the ECHR retains jurisdiction over cases that occurred before that date.