THIRD SECTION
CASE OF ANDREYEVSKAYA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA
(Applications nos. 33621/22 and 19 others –
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
16 October 2025
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Andreyevskaya and Others v. Russia,
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Diana Kovatcheva, President,
Canòlic Mingorance Cairat,
Vasilka Sancin, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 25 September 2025,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
1. The case originated in applications against Russia lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table.
2. The Russian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications.
THE FACTS
3. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.
4. The applicants complained of the disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.
THE LAW
5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
6. The Court observes that the facts giving rise to the alleged violations of the Convention occurred prior to 16 September 2022, the date on which the Russian Federation ceased to be a party to the Convention. The Court therefore decides that it has jurisdiction to examine the present applications (see Fedotova and Others v. Russia [GC], nos. 40792/10 and 2 others, §§ 68‑73, 17 January 2023).
7. The applicants complained principally of disproportionate measures taken against them as organisers or participants of public assemblies, namely their arrest in relation to the dispersal of these assemblies and their conviction for administrative offences. They relied, expressly or in substance, on Article 11 of the Convention.
8. The Court refers to the principles established in its case-law regarding freedom of assembly (see Kudrevičius and Others v. Lithuania [GC], no. 37553/05, ECHR 2015, with further references) and proportionality of interference with it (see Oya Ataman v. Turkey, no. 74552/01, ECHR 2006‑XIV, and Hyde Park and Others v. Moldova, no. 33482/06, 31 March 2009). It further refers to Nemytov and Others v. Russia (no. 1257/21 and 2 others, 27 May 2025) in so far as the application by the authorities of the COVID-19-related restrictions to assemblies are concerned.
9. In the leading cases of Nemytov and Others (cited above), Frumkin v. Russia, no. 74568/12, ECHR 2016 (extracts), Navalnyy and Yashin v. Russia, no. 76204/11, 4 December 2014 and Kasparov and Others v. Russia, no. 21613/07, 3 October 2013, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
10. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion as to the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the interferences with the applicants’ freedom of assembly were not “necessary in a democratic society”.
11. In particular, the Court acknowledges that wide margin of appreciation is allowed to the authorities dealing with the health crisis of COVID-19 magnitude (see Nemytov and Others, cited above, §§ 115-17 and Central Unitaria de Traballadores/as v. Spain, no. 49363/20, § 81, 17 October 2024). However, at the time of relevant events, that is February ‑ March 2022, various COVID-19 related restrictions were progressively lifted.
12. The Court notes that no regime of strict lockdowns has been in force, most of COVID-19 related restrictions had been eased, and indoors and outdoors sports, cultural, entertainment and other events could have been held with minimal to no restrictions. Under these circumstances no sufficient justification has been advanced on why the applicant’s participation in anti‑war protests should have been restrictions, leisure activities allowed, even if under certain conditions. Furthermore, the judicial decision imposing sanctions on the applicants in the present cases lacked detailed and meaningful proportionality analysis, which could justify why imposition on the sanctions had been necessary. Therefore, the fines and administrative detention orders by the domestic courts had been disproportionate to the aim pursued and the domestic authorities overstepped the wide margin of appreciation afforded to them (see mutatis mutandis Nemytov and Others, §§ 128-30, cited above).
13. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention.
14. Some applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention and its Protocols, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible.
15. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that these complaints also disclose violations of the Convention and its Protocols in the light of its findings in Butkevich v. Russia, no. 5865/07, §§ 63-65, 13 February 2018, Tsvetkova and Others v. Russia, nos. 54381/08 and 5 others, §§ 115-31, 10 April 2018, and Korneyeva v. Russia, no. 72051/17, §§ 34-36, 8 October 2019, as to various aspects of unlawful deprivation of liberty of organisers or participants of public assemblies; Karelin v. Russia, no. 926/08, §§ 58-85, 20 September 2016, concerning the absence of a prosecuting party in the proceedings under the Code of Administrative Offences (the CAO), and Martynyuk v. Russia, no. 13764/15, §§ 38-42, 8 October 2019, concerning the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal against the sentence of administrative detention.
16. Some applicants raised further additional complaints under Article 6 of the Convention concerning other aspects of fairness of the administrative-offence proceedings. In view of the findings in paragraphs 10-15 above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints.
17. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see in particular Navalnyy and Others v. Russia [Committee], nos. 25809/17 and 14 others, § 22, 4 October 2022), the Court finds it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;
(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 16 October 2025, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Diana Kovatcheva
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 11 of the Convention
(disproportionate measures against organisers and participants of public assemblies)
Application no. Date of introduction | Applicant’s name Year of birth
| Representative’s name and location | Name of the public event Location Date | Administrative / criminal offence | Penalty | Final domestic decision Court Name Date | Other complaints under well-established case-law | Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant (in euros)[1] | |
33621/22 20/06/2022 | Tatyana Alekseyevna ANDREYEVSKAYA 1997
| Gerasimov Dmitriy Georgiyevich St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 15,000 | St Petersburg City Court 22/03/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 27/02/2022 until 28/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
34590/22 30/06/2022 | Gaziza Musayevna ATANOVA 1997
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | detention of 5 days | St Petersburg City Court 03/03/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 27/02/2022 until 28/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO
| 5,000 | |
36248/22 08/07/2022 | Zlatislava Yuryevna PANKRATOVA 1999
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | detention of 15 days | St Petersburg City Court 10/03/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 27/02/2022 until 01/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO | 6,000 | |
37089/22 13/07/2022 | Igor Yevgenyevich KOKOSHINSKIY 1995
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | detention of 12 days | St Petersburg City Court 16/03/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 06/03/2022 until 07/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Prot. 7 Art. 2 - delayed review of conviction by a higher tribunal - the sentence of administrative detention imposed on the applicant was executed immediately, on account of the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal under the CAO
| 6,000 | |
39230/22 28/07/2022 | Polina Andreyevna BUROVSKAYA 1998
| Baranova Natalya Andreyevna Moscow | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 29/03/2022 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 24/02/2022 until 25/02/2022 | 4,000 | |
40313/22 28/07/2022 | Darya Pavlovna MUKHINA 2000
| Baranova Natalya Andreyevna Moscow | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 29/03/2022 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 27/02/2022 for compiling an offence report | 4,000 | |
40520/22 02/08/2022 | Taisiya Vladimirovna ABDRAKHMANOVA 1996
| Baranova Natalya Andreyevna Moscow | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 15,000 | St Petersburg City Court 05/04/2022 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 27/02/2022 until 28/02/2022 | 4,000 | |
40524/22 04/08/2022 | Fedor Stanislavovich KARPENKO 1982
| Baranova Natalya Andreyevna Moscow | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 15,000 | St Petersburg City Court 05/04/2022 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to the police station on 06/03/2022 for compiling an offence report | 4,000 | |
40749/22 07/08/2022 | Nadezhda Alekseyevna MASLENNIKOVA 1990
| Baranova Natalya Andreyevna Moscow | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 07/04/2022 | Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings,
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 27/02/2022 until 28/02/2022 | 4,000 | |
42737/22 19/08/2022 | Anna Aleksandrovna VINOGRADOVA 1991
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 15,000 | St Petersburg City Court 19/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 06/03/2022 until 07/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - | 4,000 | |
43063/22 19/08/2022 | Yelena Mikhaylovna BELOUSOVA 1966
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
03/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 19/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 03/03/2022 until 04/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
43099/22 18/08/2022 | Anastasiya Maksimovna KATAYEVA 2001
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
25/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 21/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 25/02/2022 until 26/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
43154/22 23/08/2022 | Ilya Sergeyevich PETROV 1985
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 20,000 | St Petersburg City Court 28/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) (b) - lawful arrest/detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 06/03/2022 until 07/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
43177/22 18/08/2022 | Georgiy Gennadyevich MALYSHEV 1991
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
02/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 26/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 02/03/2022 until 03/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
43243/22 19/08/2022 | Svetlana Aleksandrovna STAVNIYCHUK 1983
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
03/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 21/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 03/03/2022 until 04/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
43322/22 12/08/2022 | Yekaterina Vladimirovna NIKOLAYEVA 1979
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
28/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 12/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 28/02/2022 until 01/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
43446/22 25/08/2022 | Vadim Aleksandrovich MRYASOV 1987
|
| Ant-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 5,000 | St Petersburg City Court 26/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 06/03/2022 until 07/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
45959/22 07/09/2022 | Aleksandra Vladislavovna KOZICHEVA 1996
| Tkachenko Ilya Valeryevich Kogalym | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 17/05/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 24/02/2022 until 25/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings | 4,000 | |
11862/23 02/03/2023 | Kirill Gennadyevich MIROSHNIK 1995
| Vasilchenko Olesya Anatolyevna Minyar | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 10/11/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 06/03/2022 until 07/03/2022 | 4,000 | |
25418/23 01/06/2023 | Denis Valeryevich PAVLENKOVICH 1991
| Vasilchenko Olesya St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 6.1 of CAO | fine of RUB 15,000 | St Petersburg City Court 02/02/2023 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 27/02/2022 until 28/02/2022 | 4,000 |
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.