The ECtHR: jurisdiction, filing deadlines and redress

Three separate legal checks

Temporal jurisdiction: Russia ceased to be a party to the Convention on 16 September 2022. The Court retains jurisdiction over acts or omissions capable of violating the Convention that occurred on or before 16 September 2022. For situations spanning the date, the particular right and the timing of the interference matter. A later application or judgment does not itself extend jurisdiction. Convention Article 58; Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea), 25 June 2024, §§ 888–897. ^{[1] [11]}

In the Crimea judgment, the Court also covered detention continuing after 16 September 2022 where it began before that date and remained the continuous effect of a detention order made before it. Complaints about inadequate detention conditions, by contrast, are covered only for the period up to and including 16 September 2022. This narrow distinction does not automatically extend jurisdiction to all continuing harm or remove the separate filing-deadline check. §§ 894, 897; operative point C.1. ^{[11] [1]}

Filing deadline: the general rule in Article 35 § 1 is four months from the final decision after effective, available domestic remedies have been exhausted. Where no effective remedy exists from the outset, time may run from the event, its direct effect or when it became known. Notification of a decision and the actual effectiveness of a remedy also matter. Admissibility guide, §§ 189–211. ^{[1] [4]}

The four-month period applies from 1 February 2022. Where the final decision within the meaning of Article 35 § 1 was taken earlier, the previous six-month period applies. A mechanical calculation of “four months from the event” can therefore be wrong. Protocol No. 15, Articles 4 and 8 § 3. ^{[5] [4]}

Other admissibility conditions: the applicant must meet Article 34, substantiate a violation of a protected right and satisfy Article 35, including its domestic-remedy and duplicate international examination requirements. An inter-State case does not replace an individual application. Waiting for RD4U or another compensation process does not itself suspend an ECtHR deadline. ^{[1] [4]}

A continuing violation requires legal assessment

Lasting effects of a single event do not automatically make a violation continuing. In Bazhenov and Others v. Russia and Ukraine, 16 July 2026, the Court linked the continuing deprivation of particular applicants’ property to the invalidity of acts cancelling their titles; it applied the six-month rule to the fourth applicant’s earlier applications. That fact-specific finding does not exempt all property owners from a deadline. §§ 67–70, 87–90; guide, §§ 208–211. ^{[6] [4]}

This is a Chamber judgment. On 16 September 2026, the official record for application 20092/18 shows a judgment on the merits and just satisfaction dated 16 July 2026, without a finality entry. The judgment itself makes finality subject to Article 44 § 2; it is not presented here as final. ^{[6] [10] [1]}

Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia: current status

The Grand Chamber decided the merits on 9 July 2025 and reserved just satisfaction. Paragraph 1650 addresses developments in the compensation mechanism; §§ 1651–1652 concern the Dutch case and its disjoinder. When checked on 16 September 2026, the official records for applications 8019/16 and 28525/20 showed a final merits judgment awaiting judgment on just satisfaction. That does not establish an individual amount for every affected person. Operative points 28–29. ^{[2] [8] [9]}

Preparing an application

• Prepare a chronology of events, receipt of decisions, remedies used and other international proceedings. Include copies of decisions and evidence of the relevant dates. Rule 47 §§ 1–3. ^[7]
• Download the form and instructions from the Court’s official page, complete the form, print and sign it, and post it with the required documents. As a general rule, the introduction date is the date a compliant form is sent, determined by the postmark. A fax does not interrupt the time limit; incomplete applications are governed by Rule 47 §§ 5–6, including its exceptions. ^{[12] [13] [7]}
• Check the deadline promptly even while preparing another claim. Record decisions, amounts awarded and payments actually received separately; “Parallel remedies: claims, decisions and previous payments” explains their interaction.