Ukraine in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights

At the moment, Ukraine is the country with the highest number of complaints directed to the European Court of Human Rights. Referring to the abundant case law of the European Court of Human Rights in Ukrainian cases, the article identifies the key and striking discrepancies between domestic law and legal practice on the one hand, and standards stemming from the European Convention of Human Rights on the other. Although Ukraine joined the European Convention already in 1997, a black picture of the state transpires from the judgments of the Strasbourg Court. Decisions rendered by domestic courts are not enforced and there is a widespread practice of maltreatment by militia and other state agencies, to give only two examples. But recent events in Ukraine may lead, the circumstances permitting, to profound reforms of the state as the "Maidan camp" invokes the European legal standards as its principal point of reference.