THIRD SECTION
DECISION
Applications nos. 15649/17 and 31062/20
Sergey Pavlovich OBUKHOV against Russia
and Lyudmila Stefanovna DEMYANKOVA against Russia
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 5 February 2026 as a Committee composed of:
 Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, President,
 Mateja Đurović,
 Vasilka Sancin, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications lodged on the various dates indicated in the appended table,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The list of the applicants and the relevant details are set out in the appendix.
The applicants’ complaints were communicated to the Russian Government (“the Government”), who submitted observations on the admissibility and merits. The observations were forwarded to the applicants, who were invited to submit their own observations. No reply was received to these letters.
By letters sent through the Court’s Electronic Communication Service (eComms), the applicants were notified that the period allowed for submission of their observations had expired on 14 November 2021 and on 18 February 2022, respectively, and that no extension of time had been requested.
The applicants’ attention was drawn to Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application. No response followed.
THE LAW
Having regard to the similar procedural behaviour of the applicants, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications.
Accordingly, the cases should be struck out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases.
Done in English and notified in writing on 26 February 2026.
 
 Viktoriya Maradudina Úna Ní Raifeartaigh
 Acting Deputy Registrar President
 
APPENDIX
List of applications
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
 
Representative’s name and location
Complaints communicated to the respondent Government
 
Date of the
applicant’s last
letter to the Court
 
Date of the Court’s
last letter sent to applicant via eComms
 
Date when the Court’s last letter was downloaded on eComms platform
   15649/17
15/02/2017
Sergey Pavlovich OBUKHOV
1958
 
Serdyukov Kirill Gennadyevich
Moscow
Prot. 1 Art. 3 – the applicant’s disqualification from standing as a candidate in elections to the State Duma,
 
Art. 13 – lack of an effective remedy to complain about his disqualification.
 
 
06/09/2022
17/10/2022
(sent to the applicant’s representative)
18/10/2022
   31062/20
10/06/2020
Lyudmila Stefanovna DEMYANKOVA
1939
 
Shanin Igor Borisovich
Maykop
Art. 6 (1) – unfairness of civil proceedings initiated by the applicant,
 
Prot. 1 Art. 1 – disproportionate interference with the applicant’s property rights.
14/01/2022
28/07/2022
Not downloaded