4.  The applicant was born in 1949 and lives in Antratsit, Ukraine.
5.  In 1996 the applicant was dismissed from the State Enterprise Coal Mine “Yur-Shor” («Государственное предприятие «Шахта «Юр‑Шор», “the coal mine”). According to the Government, the mine was incorporated as a state unitary enterprise. In January 1999 the insolvency proceedings were opened in respect of the mine.
6.  On 28 October 1999 the Vorkuta Town Court of the Komi Republic (The Town Court) awarded the applicant the equivalent of 1,591 euros (EUR) in salary and allowances’ arrears against the coal mine. It appears that the award became final ten days later.
7.  The applicant submits, without further details, that the bailiffs did not take measures to execute the judgment.
8.  On 27 December 1999 a prosecutor advised the applicant that as from 1 January 1999 the coal mine’s own funds had discontinued and the salary arrears were to be paid from the federal budget. He informed the applicant that the judgment in his favour could not be enforced, since no funds had been allocated from the federal budget for these purposes.
9.  On 3 April 2001 the Town Court ordered the coal mine to pay the applicant EUR 51 for court expenses.
10.  On 24 April 2002 the Town Court allowed the applicant’s claim for index-linking of the award of 28 October 1999 and held that the coal mine should pay him EUR 912 under this head.
11.  It appears that the awards of 28 October 1999, 3 April 2001 and 24 April 2002 in the applicant’s favour have not been enforced to date.
12.  The applicant sued various domestic authorities for non-pecuniary damages and index-linking of unpaid salary. On 21 January 2004 the Town Court granted his action in part, having found, inter alia, that the coal mine could not claim lack of funds as an excuse for non-enforcement of the earlier judgments in the applicant’s favour. The court further found that awards made on 28 October 1999, 3 April 2001 and 24 April 2002 in the amount of EUR 1,966 should be paid to the applicant by the Ministry of Energy, since the latter had been designated by the Government to finance the debts of the coal mine, in so far as the salary arrears and related social payments prior to the decision to wind up the company were concerned. The court specified that the awarded sums should be transferred by a local branch of the State Treasury to the coal mine, with view of their subsequent transfer to the applicant. The payment was to be made via a State-owned Enterprise “Sotsugol” («ГП «Соцуголь»). The judgment became final on 23 September 2004, as upheld by the Supreme Court of the Komi Republic.
13.  On 21 January 2004 the Town Court by a separate decision obliged the coal mine to index-link the unpaid court awards and to pay the applicant EUR 527. The decision acquired legal force on 23 September 2004.
14.  On 7 December 2004 the Town Court ordered to index-link the awards of 21 January 2004 and held that the Ministry of Energy should pay the applicant EUR 155 and the coal mine EUR 41 respectively. The judgment entered into force on 20 December 2004.
15.  It appears that the judgments of 21 January 2004 and 7 December 2004 and the decision of 21 January 2004 have not been enforced to date.
16.  At some point the applicant claimed modification of the judgment of 21 January 2004, so that the respondent Ministry be replaced in the enforcement proceedings by the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation. On 30 November 2005 his application was rejected by the Town Court as having no grounds in the domestic law. It appears that the decision was not appealed against.
17.  On 28 December 2005 the Liquidation Commission of the Ministry of Energy informed the applicant that the Ministry had been liquidated and had no longer been in receipt of the funds from the federal budget and that the execution documents in respect of the Ministry’s debts could no longer be accepted by the commission.
18.  The applicant further claimed that the respondent Ministry be replaced by “Sotsugol”. On 8 June 2006 the Supreme Court of the Komi Republic in the final instance rejected his request.