On October 14, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Russia must pay Georgia more than €253 million in compensation for human rights violations that occurred following the 2008 war. In its judgment on the case Georgia v. Russia (IV), the ECtHR unanimously ordered Russia to pay €253,018,000 in non-pecuniary damages to over 29,000 victims affected by the tightening of administrative boundary lines after the conflict.

The Court instructed the Georgian government to create an effective distribution mechanism for the compensation within 18 months of Russia’s payment. The ECtHR emphasized that despite Russia’s departure from the Council of Europe on September 16, 2022, it remains bound by obligations for violations committed before that date. The Court noted that the Committee of Ministers continues to monitor the enforcement of its judgments against Russia. In a statement, Georgia’s Ministry of Justice expressed gratitude to all state agencies that contributed to collecting evidence and declared, "We congratulate the entire nation on this historic victory."

Notably, the October ruling followed the April 9, 2024, judgment, in which Russia was found fully responsible for "mass intimidation, detention, attacks, killings, and official tolerance of such acts" against Georgia’s population in the occupied territories and along the occupation line. These abuses were committed amid Georgia’s territorial occupation and the process of so-called borderisation. This latest decision was described as a continuation of earlier landmark cases brought by Georgia against Russia. In Georgia v. Russia (I), known as the "deportees’ case," the Strasbourg Court ordered Russia to pay €10 million for the mass expulsion of ethnic Georgians and associated human rights violations. In Georgia v. Russia (II), concerning the August 2008 war, the Court awarded €130 million in compensation for widespread abuses committed during and after the conflict.

Although Russia is no longer a Council of Europe member, it remains legally obligated to comply with the ECtHR’s rulings, and financial penalties continue to accrue for non-compliance. The implementation of these judgments is being overseen by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, with Georgia’s active participation.