The European Court of Human Rights finds Ukraine guilty of the 2 May 2014 tragedy in Odesa

The ECHR found Ukraine guilty of the 2 May 2014 tragedy in Odesa. Photo: Getty Images

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found Ukraine guilty of inaction during the clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists in Odesa on 2 May 2014, when 48 people died.

This is stated in the court's decision.

The court ruled that Ukraine «failed to take measures» to prevent the violence in Odesa on 2 May, and «failed to stop the violence once it started», thus violating an article of the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Therefore, Ukraine was ordered to pay compensation ranging from €12,000 to €15,000 to the three plaintiffs who suffered burns that day and to the relatives of the victims.

The court also stressed that many of the Odesa officials responsible for Ukraine's violations soon fled to Russia, obtained Russian citizenship, and even built careers there amid Russia's large-scale military invasion of Ukraine.

Among them is Volodymyr Bodelan, the then head of the Odesa Department of the State Emergency Service. It was emphasised that the only reason for the 40-minute delay in fire trucks extinguishing the Trade Union Building was Bodelan's instruction «not to do anything without his clear order». Two years after the events of 2 May, he fled to Russia, and no criminal case was even brought against him during his stay in Odesa.

In addition, the court noted the passivity of the Odesa police, which did not respond properly to the attack by anti-Maidan protesters on pro-Ukrainian activists, which started the main clashes in the city.

However, the court recognised that those events were largely caused by Russian propaganda.

As a reminder, on 2 May 2014, massive clashes took place in Odesa between patriotic citizens, supported by ultras «Metalist» and «Chornomorets», and pro-Russian separatists.

Then, on Oleksandrivskyi Avenue, a group of armed unknowns from among «anti-Maidan» attacked the march of «For United Ukraine», killing one person. At the same time, «anti-Maidan activists» fired automatic weapons under police cover. After the clashes in the city, the epicentre of the events moved to Kulikove Pole, where the «Anti-Maidan» tent camp was located and where the separatists fled. The latter later took refuge in the Trade Union Building, where a fire broke out due to Molotov cocktails. Forty-eight people died in the Trade Union Building, and more than 200 were injured.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General's Office stated that there was no evidence of a deliberate fire in the Odesa Trade Union Building on 2 May 2014.