THIRD SECTION
CASE OF MASLOVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA
(Applications nos. 39538/22 and 20 others –
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
13 November 2025
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Maslova and Others v. Russia,
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, President,
Mateja Đurović,
Vasilka Sancin, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 23 October 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 in connection with their participation in various public events in breach of COVID‑19‑related restrictions. They also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention and its Protocol.
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 in connection with their participation in various public events in breach of COVID-19-related restrictions, 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, 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, §§ 136-51, 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. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention.
12. The applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention and its Protocol, 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.
13. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that these complaints also disclose violations of the Convention and its Protocol 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, relating to the lack of suspensive effect of an appeal against the sentence of administrative detention.
14. All applicants, except for the applicant in application no. 2367/23, 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 11 and 13 above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints.
15. 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 13 November 2025, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Úna Ní Raifeartaigh
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] | |
39538/22 15/07/2022 | Aleksandra Nikolayevna MASLOVA 1975
| Baranova Natalya Andreyevna
Moscow | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 12,000 | St Petersburg City Court 29/03/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 3.40 p.m. to 9.15 p.m. on 06/03/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 29/03/2022 | 4,000 | |
40075/22 02/08/2022 | Pavel Pavlovich MIKHAYLOV 1993
| 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 05/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 3 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 4.30 p.m. on 07/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 05/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
40891/22 11/08/2022 | Tatyana Yevgenyevna KRASHENNIKOVA 1995
| Shiolashvili Mikhail Germanovich
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 19/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 5 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to the evening of 07/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 19/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
40898/22 11/08/2022 | Andrey Sergeyevich AMELIN 1992
| Shiolashvili Mikhail Germanovich
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 24/05/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 11.15 p.m. on 24/02/2022 to 25/02/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 24/05/2022 | 4,000 | |
41288/22 11/08/2022 | Tatyana Mikhaylovna YEREMEYEVA 1957
| Zyryanova Mariya Sergeyevna
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | detention for 5 days | St Petersburg City Court 12/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 2 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 9.11 a.m. on 07/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 12/04/2022,
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 | |
41305/22 12/08/2022 | Georgiy Nikolayevich SHAND 2002
| Zyryanova Mariya Sergeyevna
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | detention for 3 days | St Petersburg City Court 12/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 3.08 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 10.11 a.m. on 07/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 12/04/2022,
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 | |
41759/22 10/08/2022 | Salima Malikovna TALIPOVA 2003
| Gerasimov Dmitriy Georgiyevich
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | detention for 8 days | St Petersburg City Court 14/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 27/02/2022 to 28/02/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 14/04/2022 | 5,000 | |
41760/22 07/08/2022 | Emiliya Ramilevna NURDINOVA 1997
| 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. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 6.50 p.m. on 27/02/2022 to 7.30 p.m. on 28/02/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 07/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
41895/22 05/08/2022 | Yevgeniy Yuryevich ANASHKIN 1992
| Ivanov Nikifor Yuryevich
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
24/02/2022 | article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO | detention for 5 days | St Petersburg City Court 05/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 8.55 p.m. on 24/02/2022 p.m. to the evening of 25/02/2022, until court hearing, in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 05/04/2022,
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 | |
41996/22 27/07/2022 | Flyura Gabdrakhimovna TEMIRBULATOVA 1982
| 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. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 5.15 p.m. on 24/02/2022 to 6.20 p.m. on 25/02/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 29/03/2022 | 4,000 | |
43421/22 13/08/2022 | Andrey Yuryevich DMITRIYEV 1993
| Vasilchenko Olesya Anatolyevna
Minyar | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | detention for 3 days | St Petersburg City Court 14/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 7.20 p.m. on 27/02/2022 to 3 p.m. on 28/02/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 14/04/2022,
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 | |
43467/22 26/08/2022 | Nataliya Sergeyevna LEKO 2000
| 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 28/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 11.33 p.m. on 24/02/2022 p.m. to 3.55 p.m. on 25/02/2022 in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 28/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
43968/22 18/08/2022 | Nikita Sergeyevich AGAFONOV 1998
| Vasilchenko Olesya Anatolyevna
Minyar | 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 - arrest and detention from 3.08 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 6.10 p.m. 07/03/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: ST Petersburg City Court, 19/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
44521/22 20/08/2022 | Sergey Petrovich BURMISTROV 1990
| 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 21/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 2.40 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 11.30 a.m. on 07/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 21/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
45080/22 26/08/2022 | Denis Dmitriyevich SOLOVYEV 1991
| 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 26/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 3.30 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 12.15 p.m. on 07/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 26/04/2022 | 4,000 | |
46854/22 16/09/2022 | Yekaterina Andreyevna MIKHAYLENKO 1990
| Semenov Daniil Aleksandrovich
St Petersburg | 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 - arrest and detention from 7.55 p.m. on 24/02/2022 p.m. to 12 p.m. on 25/02/2022, until court hearing, in excess of 3 hours for the sole purpose of drawing up a record of administrative offence, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 17/05/2022 | 4,000 | |
47925/22 12/09/2022 | Daneliya Aleksandrovna MANDRESKO 2003
| Gerasimov Dmitriy Georgiyevich
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
01/03/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 16/06/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 01/03/2022 to 02/03/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 16/06/2022 | 4,000 | |
47934/22 12/09/2022 | Ivan Alekseyevich KUZIN 1997
| Gerasimov Dmitriy Georgiyevich
St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 15,000 | St Petersburg City Court 28/06/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 3.30 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 2.30 a.m. on 07/03/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 28/06/2022 | 4,000 | |
53417/22 21/10/2022 | Tatyana Nikolayevna RAKINA 1998
| Shiolashvili Mikhail Germanovich St Petersburg | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022 | article 20.2 § 2 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 23/06/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 27 to 28/02/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 23/06/2022 | 4,000 | |
2367/23 30/12/2022 | Maryana Shakharbiyevna KALMYKOVA 1991
|
| Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 11/10/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 4.30 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 11 a.m. on 07/03/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal | 4,000 | |
27213/23 02/08/2022 | Yelena Vasilyevna TRIFONOVA 1983
| Vasilchenko Olesya Anatolyevna
Minyar | Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
26/02/2022 | article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO | fine of RUB 10,000 | St Petersburg City Court 07/04/2022 | Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and detention from 8.30 p.m. on 26/02/2022 to 4 p.m. on 28/02/2022 until court hearing for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record, raised on appeal,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings - Final decision: St Petersburg City Court, 07/04/2022 | 4,000 |
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.