On 19 January 2017 Russian Constitutional Court considered it impossible to fulfill the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) from July 31 2014, as it “contradicts the Constitution of the Russian Federation”: in other words, the court allowed the Russian authorities not to pay €1.9 billion to former shareholders of Yukos. In its 14 July 2015 decision the Court came to the conclusion that Russia may not enforce decisions under European Convention on Human Rights if they contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

In 2014 the ECHR ordered Russia to pay former shareholders of Yukos compensation in the amount of €1.9 billion for the alleged violation of their rights to protection and a fair trial. Later, the Ministry of Justice sent a request to the Constitutional Court whether such payments can be made.

This case might have far-reaching consequences and right now it establishes a sort of precedent for the further non-compliance with some decisions of the ECHR. It resulted in the situation when Russia, in particular cases, may refuse to enforce ECHR’s decisions stating that they are contrary to provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.