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INTRODUCTION. The article contains a comprehensive analysis of one of the fundamental works on international law, which was published in the post-Soviet space - “Encyclopedias of International Law” in three volumes. The work was performed at the Institute of State and Law. V.M. Koretsky NAS of Ukraine and its methodology is based on the sociological approach of establishing the laws of social development. Its timeliness at the time of the crisis of international law is noted. This requires its adaptation to new, changing conditions of social development. However, moving forward, it is necessary to fix the clear legal structures of international law. Inaccurate definitions of legal concepts, allow their ambiguous interpretation, complicate law enforcement and allow abuse. The encyclopedia is a basis that has fixed the most advanced views to date in the field of international law. It contains the best practices of the Russian, Soviet and, in a new quality, post- Soviet school. Given the volume of material, the article highlights the 1st volume of the Encyclopedia, which adequately characterizes the entire huge array of work.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The article considers the 1st volume of the Encyclopedia of International Law in three volumes, uses scientific works presented in domestic and foreign science on the international legal regime of the Arctic sea spaces, the application of estoppel rules, regulatory and analytical material, and international judicial practice. The study is based on general scientific methods of cognition (systemic and structural approaches, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction), as well as special methods (comparative legal, historical legal, modeling).RESEARCH RESULTS. The 1st volume contains articles on international treaties, which are included in the textbooks of the course of international law and are little-known. There are articles on international organizations, specialized bodies and institutions; terms and concepts. A significant place in the Encyclopedia is given to international legal practice, including international judicial and arbitral awards. The authors of the Encyclopedia are leading scientists, many of whom have earned authority on a global level. The Preface focuses on the fact that numerous crisis phenomena and military conflicts of the last period in the world, including Ukraine, bring chaos to international relations and threaten peace and security. The Encyclopedia reflects the influence of modern challenges and threats on the level of effectiveness of the application of the principles and norms of international law, highlights the role and significance of the UN Charter. A significant place in the Encyclopedia is devoted to the historical aspects of the development of international law, starting with the treaties of Kievan Rus with Byzantium. The participation of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine as part of the USSR in the founding of the UN. Considered the collapse of the USSR, its consequences for international law. The way out of this situation is possible only by restoring the balance of forces and establishing a new world law and order on the basis of strict observance of the norms and principles of international law. Attention is paid to sharp historical topics. The encyclopedia contains a large selection of articles about personalities, among which are the founders of international law and current scientists. Some of them are given special attention in the article.CONCLUSIONS. It is concluded that Russia could revise its position, voiced by the USSR, regarding the width of territorial waters in the Arctic Ocean. The encyclopedia of international law is the first systematic work that has collected knowledge in the field of international law in the post-Soviet space. The Encyclopedia reveals the features of the legal nature of international law and the content of its basic concepts and categories.

The subject. The article reveals the concept of “estoppel” as a mechanism prohibiting the change of position depending on the change of circumstances or the passage of time.The purpose of the paper is to identify is it possible to use estoppel in procedural relations in Russia.Methodology. The author uses the methods of the analysis of legal literature as well as the formal-legal interpretation of the Commercial Procedure Code, the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.The main results and scope of their application. The development of civil and civil procedural legal relations virtually requires the study and application of the doctrinal and practice rules that are new for Russia, but well-known abroad. Among such is the rule of estoppel. It presents a mechanism that prohibits changing of position depending on the change of circumstances or the passage of time. The rule of estoppel attracts the attention of specialists in both civil and civil procedural law, but, despite having the same name, the rule possesses different qualities in substantive and procedural law. Thus, in procedural relations it is necessary to take into account that the court is a necessary participant of any civil procedural relationship. The actions of the parties in themselves do not give rise to any legal consequences; for they must be allowed (sanctioned) by the court.The main difficulty concerns not with the application of the norms fixing the institute of estoppel, but with the court’s qualification of the case in fact as an estoppel situation. The court should receive a clear and unambiguous position from the party and fix it. Such a fixation is possible, in particular, in a decision that has entered into legal force. The estoppel by judgment used in these cases differs from other kinds of estoppel in that it prevents parties from challenging the circumstances established in a court decision. It is not connected to the actions of the party, which during the whole process defended the position opposite to that which was ultimately put by the court into the basis of the decision. In the future, a party to a new process may reiterate the same facts and circumstances that it asserted earlier. Thus, her position changes in comparison not with her own previous behavior, but rather with a valid judicial decision, which she must observe.Conclusions. The Russian legislation contains certain provisions allowing for the use of estoppel rule in procedural relations: these are, for example, rules on procedural agreements and rules concerning validity of a court decision. However, considering the specifics of procedural legal relations and the role of the court within them, and taking into account the procedural rights of the parties, the use of estoppel is only possible with the help of legally established methods for the fixation of the participant’s position and his “changing behavior”.

The most critical territorial dispute for Russia is the dispute with Japan concerning the sovereignty over the four Southern Kuril Islands (or the "Northern Territories" in Japan). Its resolution is believed to be conditional on the execution of a peace treaty between the two countries. However, its existence has not prejudiced the conclusion between Russia and Japan of several treaties on marine fisheries in areas adjacent to the four Southern Kurils, which are examined herein. Apart from intergovernmental agreements, the authors also analyse a less researched agreement on the fishing of kelp. The article discusses the legal and political effect of the activities governed by the abovementioned agreements on the dispute in the light of the international legal doctrines of acquiescence, estoppel and prescription, as well as the practice of International Courts.