ECHR orders Russia to pay Georgia €252m

Russia to pay Georgia

The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to pay Georgia over €253 million in compensation over the ongoing occupation.

The Strasbourg court issued its ruling on 23 September 2025 in a case concerning “borderisation” — the process of establishing a demarcation line in the Georgian–Ossetian conflict zone, which Georgia refers to as an administrative boundary and South Ossetia as a state border (JAMnews).

Georgian Dream claims Saakashvili started 2008 war on US orders — backed by Russia’s Foreign Ministry

The majority of the public, along with the entire opposition, blame Russia for starting the war and for the subsequent occupation of Georgian territory — a position also backed by Georgia’s Western partners.

Key points of the ECHR ruling against Russia:

• Russia has three months from the ruling’s entry into force to pay the full amount; after that, interest will accrue on the compensation.
• The court found Russia responsible for violations of the right to life, liberty, freedom from torture, property rights, family life, freedom of movement, and access to education in the Georgian language. Tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians were affected.
• Despite Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe in 2022, the case falls under the court’s jurisdiction because the violations occurred before Russia ceased its membership in the European Convention on Human Rights.
• Of the €253 million compensation, €224.25 million is allocated to help 23,000 people who lost homes, property, and contact with their families.
• €20 million will go to 4,000 schoolchildren denied access to education in Georgian. €5.17 million will be distributed to 2,586 victims of unlawful detention. €1.98 million will go to 76 victims of ill-treatment, €1.3 million to 20 victims of excessive use of force, and €320,000 to 64 victims of unlawful restrictions on freedom of movement.

The Strasbourg Court held Russia fully responsible for property rights violations in Abkhazia during the 1990s

“Georgia has made sufficient efforts to restore state control over the territory of Abkhazia. Russia did not protect the property rights of owners”

“The implementation of these decisions is overseen by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, with Georgia actively participating in the monitoring process.

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia thanks the state bodies involved in gathering evidence and congratulates the whole country on this historic victory,” the ministry said in response to the ruling.

European Court finds Russia guilty of human rights violations during borderization

Human rights violations occurred during the process of ‘borderization’—the establishment of the demarcation line in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone

Comment from Georgian authorities

Georgian Dream PM Irakli Kobakhidze comments on ECHR ruling:

“Whenever it comes to defending our country’s interests, including in relations with Russia, and establishing truth in judicial instances, our state and government have always taken a very principled stance.

We have won all cases at the Strasbourg Court, as well as the case at The Hague, precisely thanks to our government’s principled position.

The war was started by the Saakashvili regime, but <…> this has nothing to do with the question of who started the war. The Russian Federation bears responsibility, which led to the ruling in Georgia’s favor. As a result of Russia’s intervention, specific human rights were violated, and the Strasbourg Court’s decision concerns exactly these violations.”

Russia to pay Georgia