The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled in the case of the attack on LGBT activists Timur Levchuk and Zoryan Kis in 2015. The court recognized that the Ukrainian authorities did not conduct an effective investigation into the incident motivated by hatred. This decision coincided with the couple's historic legal breakthrough within Ukraine: the country's Supreme Court finally recognized their relationship as a legal family union. About this Reports public organization "Fulcrum".
In short. What happened?
- Attack: In 2015, in the center of Kyiv, a group of people attacked Levchuk and Kis, using physical force and pepper spray.
- Police reaction: Despite the videos and public outcry, the case was closed several times, the attackers were not found, and the hate motive was ignored.
- ECHR decision: The court in Strasbourg found a violation of the prohibition of discrimination (Article 14 of the Convention) and the right to privacy (Article 8).
- Context: In March 2026, the Supreme Court of Ukraine confirmed the status of the couple as a family, which was the first such precedent in the history of the country.
Why the investigation failed
The 2015 incident was widely publicized thanks to a video that captured the moment of the attack in the center of the capital. However, according to the organization "Fulcrum", the national law enforcement agencies actually sabotaged the investigation.
Criminal proceedings were closed several times, the identity of the perpetrators was never established, and there was no legal assessment of the possible motive of hatred (homophobia) in the case materials. The ECtHR stressed that The State failed to comply with its obligation to investigate the crime in the light of discriminatory connotations.
Struggle for Marriage Recognition
Kys Zoryan is a Ukrainian diplomat working at the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel. Problems with the legal status of their relationship with Timur Levchuk began when the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry refused to allow Kisa to allow his partner to accompany him on a diplomatic mission. The reason was the law recognizing only the union of a man and a woman as marriage.
The couple went to court, and in June 2025, the Desnyansky District Court of Kyiv for the first time established the fact of "living as one family" of two men. The court referred to the fact that the law recognizes two types of relationships: official marriage and "de facto marital relations". Although the term was usually applied to opposite-sex couples living without registration, the court applied this norm to Levchuk and Kisyu.
On March 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of Ukraine upheld this decision, securing the status of a family for the couple. Thus, 11 years after the attack, the activists have achieved recognition of their rights both at the international and national levels.
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