The Russian Federation joined the Council of Europe (CoE) in 1996 and ratified the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), giving the European Court of Human Rights (ECTHR) jurisdiction. However, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in February 2022, the CoE Committee of Ministers unanimously decided to expel Russia from the Council. The Grand Chamber of the ECtHR released its decision on the case of Fedotova and Others v. the Russian Federation, which is the first decision taken against Russia since its exclusion from the Council. The case involves applications for same-sex marriage recognition in the Russian Federation, which were denied due to the Russian Family Code’s prohibition. The Moscow City Court and Gryazi City Court found the claims ill-founded, stating that the absence of an explicit ban on same-sex marriage could not be construed as state-endorsed acceptance.