- March 15, 2025
- 8:42 pm
- World News
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) made a decision on March 13, 2025 regarding the tragic events in Odessa on May 2, 2014.
The court noted that the Ukrainian authorities committed certain violations and must pay compensation. At the same time, it emphasized that the events were largely caused by Russian propaganda.
The tragic events in Odessa and the ECHR decision
On May 2, 2014, a tragedy occurred in Odessa, resulting in the deaths of 47 people. Clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists led to violence, which later resulted in a fire at the Trade Unions House. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) recognized that the tragedy was a consequence of Russia’s intervention, which actively incited violence through its propaganda and information manipulation.
The court ordered Ukraine to pay compensation to the families of the victims and the injured, pointing to Russia’s responsibility for inciting violence.
Russia’s role in the tragedy and its consequences
The court emphasized that Russia bears primary responsibility for inciting violence in Odessa. Pro-Russian forces and Russian media actively spread false and provocative messages aimed at intensifying conflicts between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian activists. Russia used these events as part of its hybrid war, trying to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.
The ECHR noted that Russian propaganda and disinformation played a key role in these tragic events, leading to numerous victims.
“Russia bears primary responsibility for inciting violence in Odessa, which resulted from active intervention and propaganda.”
These events, which occurred more than ten years ago, were only the first stage in the hybrid war that Russia continued to wage against Ukraine.
Putin’s Russia uses events for its propaganda and manipulation
After the tragedy in Odessa, Russian propaganda tried to present the events as “evidence of threats” to certain groups in Ukraine, such as Jews, and accuse the Ukrainian authorities of organizing pogroms. False reports of “Jewish pogroms” and “evacuations” spread in Russian and pro-Russian media, fueling an atmosphere of fear and panic.
“Russian propaganda used the tragedy as a tool of information warfare, attempting to create a false sense of threat.”
However, despite Russia’s manipulations and attempts to distort the facts, the ECHR made a fair and just decision, pointing to Russia’s responsibility for inciting violence and trying to destabilize Ukraine through information warfare.
The circumstances of the tragedy and the role of Ukrainian authorities
The ECHR also noted that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies made serious violations. Odessa police did little to prevent the attack on pro-Ukrainian activists using firearms, ignoring warnings about possible riots.
It was also established that fire trucks were delayed by 40 minutes, and the police did not intervene to help evacuate people. Many of the potential perpetrators of the tragedy, including high-ranking police officers, fled to Russia to avoid responsibility.
Who filed the lawsuit and what compensation will the victims receive
Lawsuits were filed with the European Court by the relatives of 25 victims and three survivors of the fire at the Trade Unions House. Among the plaintiffs were relatives of pro-Ukrainian activists who were killed by gunshot wounds, as well as families of those who were accidentally killed during the shooting. Pro-Russian activists’ families, who lost loved ones in the fire, also participated in the case. The court’s decision said that all applicants claimed that Ukraine could have prevented the tragedy and accused the authorities of inaction.
“The court ruled that Ukraine must pay compensation of 15,000 euros to the families of the deceased and 12,000 euros to three injured people who survived but sustained serious burns.”
The highest compensation, 17,000 euros, will be received by the daughter of Mikhail Vyacheslavov, who died in the fire, as she was unable to obtain her father’s body for burial for a long time.
The Jewish community of Odessa in the context of Russian propaganda
After the tragedy, Russian media actively spread false rumors about the preparation of the evacuation of Jews from Odessa and the threat of pogroms. Russian propaganda tried to create a false sense of danger for the Jewish community, which exacerbated the already tense atmosphere in the city. However, the community itself denied these rumors, stating that there was no real threat. These disinformation campaigns were part of Russia’s overall plan to incite hostility and disrupt ties between different ethnic and political groups in Ukraine.
Messages in Russian media about this alarm immediately took on a sensationalist character.
“Buses and armed guards: Odessa Jews are ready for evacuation,” shouted the headline on the Russia Today informational site, which spreads Russian propaganda in English. “Odessa again awaits Jewish pogroms,” read the headline on another news site, UralPress.
These messages appeared after Israel’s Jerusalem Post on May 5 published an article stating that the chief rabbi of Odessa and southern Ukraine, Abraham Wolf, who leads the “Chabad-Odessa” educational complex, had prepared 70 buses for the evacuation of the Jewish community following the events of May 2.
Conclusion
The tragedy in Odessa on May 2, 2014, was a consequence of Russia’s active actions, using its propaganda and interference to create tension and violence in Ukraine. The ECHR made a fair decision, pointing to Russia’s guilt in inciting violence and obliging Ukraine to pay compensation. Russian propaganda and informational manipulation could not change the truth, and justice prevailed. These events were only part of the broader hybrid war that Russia continued to wage against Ukraine, which eventually grew into a full-scale invasion in 2022.
The tragedy in Odessa on May 2, 2014, and the events surrounding it serve as an important reminder of how Russian propaganda can manipulate public opinion, even in countries far from Ukraine. NAnews – News of Israel, like other media, must be particularly careful about sources of information that can be used for disinformation. Russian propaganda continues to affect the global community, including Israelis, creating false narratives and distorting facts. It is important to filter sources and not succumb to manipulations to avoid falling under the influence of destructive information campaigns.
