Moscow: Series of Lawsuits Against Russia Largely Inspired by Washington

A series of international lawsuits filed against Russia in many ways has been inspired by Washington, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Since 2014, Ukraine has filed four lawsuits against Russia to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Earlier this month, the ECHR received the fourth lawsuit filed by the Ukrainian authorities against Russia related to Crimea and the Ukrainian crisis.

"We are at the beginning of a very hard path to combat a series of lawsuits against the Russian Federation and its institutions, largely inspired by the United States, or by the US legal system," Ryabkov told reporters.

In mid-October, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Kiev intended to sue Russia for more than one trillion hryvnia ($43.9 billion) in damages for what it deems the "annexation" of Crimea by Russia and Moscow's "intervention" in Donbass.

Last week, Kiev filed a lawsuit against Russia with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over limits on car and railroad switch exports.

In July, the Ukrainian Justice Ministry said the ECHR had received 500 lawsuits from Ukrainian residents over rights violations during imaginary "Russia's aggression."