SAVICKIS AND OTHERS v. LATVIA JUDGMENT their right to intervene in the case (under Article 36 § 1 of the Convention and Rule 44 § 1 (b) of the Rules of Court), were represented by Mr M. Galperin, Representative of the Russian Federation at the European Court of Human Rights. 4. The application was allocated to the Fifth Section of the Court (Rule 52 § 1 of the Rules of Court). On 22 June 2015 the respondent Government were given notice of the application. 5. On 1 December 2020 a Chamber of the Fifth Section decided to relinquish jurisdiction in favour of the Grand Chamber, none of the parties having objected (Article 30 of the Convention and Rule 72). 6. The composition of the Grand Chamber was determined according to the provisions of Article 26 §§ 4 and 5 of the Convention and Rule 24. 7. The applicant and the Government each filed a memorial on the admissibility and merits of the case (Rule 59 § 1). 8. The fifth applicant (Ms Marzija Vagapova) having acquired Russian nationality, on 5 February 2021 the Russian Government expressed their intention to exercise their right to take part in the written and oral proceedings as a third party (Article 36 § 1 of the Convention and Rule 44 § 1). They subsequently filed written comments on the admissibility and merits of the case. 9. A hearing took place in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, on 26 May 2021; on account of the public-health crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, it was held via video-conference. The webcast of the hearing was made public on the Court’s Internet site on the following day. There appeared before the Court: (a) for the respondent Government Ms K. LĪCE, Ms E.L. VĪTOLA, Ms S. KAULIŅA, Ms B. FELSBERGA, Advisers; (b) for the applicants Ms I. NIKUĻCEVA, Mr A. KUZMINS, Counsel, Adviser; Agent, (c) for the Russian Government Mr M. GALPERIN, Representative of the Russian Government, Ms A. DZUTSEVA, Counsel, Mr S. ANDREYEV, Mr S. TOROPOV, Mr O. POLOKHOV, Advisers. 2