THIRD SECTION
CASE OF POPOVA AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA
(Applications nos. 3125/22 and 20 others –
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
18 September 2025
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Popova 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 28 August 2025,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
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, notably 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.
THE LAW
JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
JURISDICTION6. 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).
ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 11 OF THE CONVENTION7. 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, 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.
OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW12. 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.
13. 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.
REMAINING COMPLAINTS14. 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 11 and 13 above, the Court considers that there is no need to deal separately with these remaining complaints.
APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION15. 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,
Decides to join the applications;Holds that it has jurisdiction to deal with these applications as they relate to facts that took place before 16 September 2022;Declares the complaints under Article 11 of the Convention and the other complaints under the well-established case-law of the Court, as set out in the appended table, admissible, and finds that there is no need to examine separately the remaining complaints under Article 6 of the Convention;Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 11 of the Convention;Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention and the Protocols thereto as regards the other complaints raised under the well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table);Holds(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 18 September 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)
No.
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]
3125/22
02/12/2021
Olga Petrovna POPOVA
1997
Memorial Human Rights Centre
Moscow
Rally “Free Navalnyy”
St Petersburg
02/02/2021
article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
03/06/2021
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
3,500
17187/22
14/03/2022
Vasiliy Aleksandrovich VYALUSHKIN
1986
Baranova Natalya Andreyevna
Moscow
Rally “Free Navalnyy”
St Petersburg
21/04/2021
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
16/09/2021
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
3,500
29355/22
27/05/2022
Mariya Nikolayevna MOKINA
1997
Sirinova Olga Vladimirovna
St Petersburg
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
02/03/2022
article 20.2.2. § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
07/04/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station before and after compiling an offence report from 8.30 p.m. on 02/03/2022 until 2.00 p.m. on 03/03/2022.
4,000
37621/22
12/07/2022
Valeriy Dmitriyevich YEZHOV
1995
Mangileva Vera Borisovna
Yekaterinburg
Anti-war protest
Yekaterinburg
06/03/2022
article 20.2 § 5 of CAO
30 hours of community service
Sverdlovsk Regional Court
09/06/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and escorting to the police station for compiling an offence report on 06/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
4,500
37853/22
22/07/2022
Katerina Sergeyevna BUSH
1987
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
05/04/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - arrest and escorting to the police station on 27/02/2022 for the sole purpose of drawing a record of administrative offence; detention until the court hearing on 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
39796/22
03/08/2022
Valeriy Andreyevich KANIN
1986
Baranova Natalya Andreyevna
Moscow
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
01/03/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 6,000
St Petersburg City Court
07/04/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station before and after compiling an offence report from 7.50 p.m. on 01/03/2022 until the court hearing at 12.15 p.m. on 02/03/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
4,000
44630/22
26/08/2022
Margarita Viktorovna FESENKO
2003
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
26/04/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station from 8.30 p.m. on 24/02/2022 until the court hearing at 2 p.m. on 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
44839/22
15/08/2022
Mikhail Dmitriyevich ZABELIN
2000
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
21/04/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - detention in a police car from 5.15 p.m. until 6.50 p.m. on 27/02/2022, then escorting to the police station for compiling an offence report and detention at the police station until 11.30 p.m. on 27/02/2022,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
4,000
45958/22
07/09/2022
Yana Valeryevna LEBEDEVA
2002
Tkachenko Ilya Valeryevich
Kogalym
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
24/02/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 15,000
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 8.50 p.m. on 24/02/2022 until 12 p.m. on 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
46123/22
24/08/2022
Ilya Yevgenyevich SAKHNO
1999
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
detention for 10 days
St Petersburg City Court
28/04/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - escorting to and detention at the police station after compiling an offence report from 3.50 p.m. on 06/03/2022 until 2 p.m. on 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.
5,000
46375/22
05/09/2022
Dmitriy Vladimirovich SERGEYEV
1984
Peredruk Aleksandr Dmitriyevich
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
31/05/2022
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 3.30 p.m. until 9.40 p.m. on 06/03/2022.
4,000
47537/22
15/09/2022
Dariya Birkhanovna SHCHEGLOVA
1998
Krikun Leonid Leonidovich
St Petersburg
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
community service of 40 hours
St Petersburg City Court
24/05/2022
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 6.50 p.m. on 06/03/2022 until 09.20 a.m. on 07/03/2022.
4,500
47618/22
12/09/2022
Darya Vladimirovna SPASSKAYA
2001
Baranova Natalya Andreyevna
Moscow
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
25/02/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
12/05/2022
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 8 p.m. on 25/02/2022 to 5.45 p.m. on 26/02/2022.
4,000
47939/22
12/09/2022
Anastasiya Aleksandrovna KOLOMYTSEVA
1996
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
14/06/2022
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 7.55 p.m. on 27/02/2022 until the court hearing on 28/02/2022.
4,000
47943/22
12/09/2022
Yelizaveta Alekseyevna RUBSHINA
1994
Gerasimov Dmitriy Georgiyevich
St Petersburg
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
27/02/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 19,000
St Petersburg City Court
17/05/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - detention from 27/02/2022 to 28/02/2022. The applicant was taken to the police station for the sole purpose of drawing up an administrative offence record,
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
4,000
47950/22
15/09/2022
Valeriya Aleksandrovna CHEMERISOVA
1999
Anti-war protest
Voronezh
06/03/2022
article 20.2 § 5 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
Voronezh Regional Court
02/06/2022
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
4,000
54405/22
26/10/2022
Sergey Aleksandrovich ZOLOTAREV
1996
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
02/03/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
28/06/2022
Art. 5 (1) – unlawful detention - detention from 7. 40 p.m. on 02/03/2022 to 4.10 p.m. on 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
55758/22
09/11/2022
Alisa Vitalyevna MATVEYCHUK
1999
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 10,000
St Petersburg City Court
19/07/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - detention from 5.15 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 00.30 a.m. on 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
1180/23
19/12/2022
Evelina Mindaugo GUDAUSKAYTE
1999
Anti-war protest
St Petersburg
06/03/2022
article 20.2.2 § 1 of CAO
fine of RUB 15,000
St Petersburg City Court
23/08/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention - detention from 3.50 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 00.20 p.m. on 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
3123/23
23/12/2022
Daniil Dmitriyevich POGUDIN
1997
Shiolashvili Mikhail Germanovich
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
25/08/2022
Art. 5 (1) - unlawful detention – the applicant was taken to the police station as an administrative suspect: no evidence/assessment that it was impracticable, on the spot, to compile the offence record and to establish his identity (see Korneyeva v. Russia, no. 72051/17, § 34, 8 October 2019; Ryabinina and Others v. Russia [Committee], nos. 50271/06 and 8 other applications, § 35, 2 July 2019),
Art. 6 (1) - lack of impartiality of the tribunal in view of the absence of a prosecuting party in administrative-offence proceedings.
4,000
9414/23
09/02/2023
Olga Borisovna CHERNOMORETS
2001
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 - detention from 4 p.m. on 06/03/2022 to 1 p.m. on 07/03/2022.
4,000
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.