Council of Europe assembly calls for frozen Russian assets to be used to compensate Ukraine

Thursday, 1 October 2026 — Olha Romanska

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on member states to take action to redirect frozen Russian assets to pay compensation to Ukraine under European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings.

PACE noted that Russia owes over EUR 3.3 billion in unpaid compensation awarded by the ECHR but continues to ignore its legal obligations, refusing to comply with ECHR rulings and cooperate with the Council of Europe's supervisory mechanisms.

"In this Resolution, the Parliamentary Assembly calls on member and observer States to take concrete steps to address this unprecedented situation, including repurposing frozen Russian State assets to compensate Ukraine and Ukrainian victims once the Court delivers its judgments in inter-State cases, and ensuring that national legal frameworks allow for the domestic enforcement of the Court's awards," the resolution reads.

The Assembly also called on member states and the European Union to impose targeted individual sanctions on specific individuals who have committed the most serious human rights violations recorded in ECHR rulings.

Furthermore, the Assembly urged the preservation of all case files relating to complaints against Russia, the protection of the personal data of illegally deported Ukrainian children, and the provision of full information about these children through the appropriate international mechanism.

The Ukrainian delegation to PACE previously noted that it would use plenary debates, committee meetings and bilateral meetings to draw attention to the massive Russian attacks on civilian targets and critical infrastructure, the humanitarian situation in occupied Oleshky, and Ukraine's needs ahead of the winter. They also intended to focus on the payment of compensation under ECHR rulings.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had previously proposed a way to transfer frozen Russian funds to Ukraine based on decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.

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