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The article is dedicated to the study of the structural flaws and deficiencies of Article 435-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, "Insult to the Honor and Dignity of a Serviceman, Threat to a Serviceman," which, under the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Strengthening Criminal Liability for the Manufacture and Distribution of Prohibited Information Products" No. 2110-IX, which came into force on March 16, 2022 (hereinafter referred to as Law No. 2110-IX), was included in Section XIX of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Criminal Offenses Against the Established Order of Military Service (Military Criminal Offenses)." The author analyzed the disposition of Article 435-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and highlighted several contentious issues, in particular: the placement of the article in Section XIX of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which does not correspond to the generic object of this criminal offense and its subject composition, as a result of which the jurisdiction of the criminal offense provided for in Article 435-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine falls simultaneously under two pre-trial investigation bodies, such as the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigation; the presence in the disposition of the article of an unnecessary limitation regarding the duration and the range of servicemen to whom this article applies. The impact and consequences of the existing shortcomings on the practical application of the examined provision are described, such as the violation of the principle of legal certainty and the ambiguity of the legal norm, as well as the unclear mechanism for the application of such a norm in practice. Based on the analysis, the author provided recommendations for eliminating the shortcomings described in the article through legislative improvement of this norm, namely: moving the norm to Section I of the Criminal Code of Ukraine by supplementing it with an independent article; adjusting the disposition of the article by expanding the range of persons who can be victims of this criminal offense, as well as removing the wording "armed aggression of the Russian Federation" from the disposition and supplementing it with more general formulations like "armed aggression" and "armed conflict.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the analysis of the institute of control in international law as one of the elements for attributing the behaviour of a separatist entity or other anti-governmental organisation to the state in the process of bringing the latter to international legal responsibility for internationally wrongful acts, primarily massive human rights violations. The author emphasises the growing importance of the issue of control in the context of modern armed conflicts, where ‘proxy’ forces are increasingly used, acting formally independently but in fact controlled by states. This raises new challenges for international law, especially in the area of human rights protection, including during armed conflicts, and State responsibility. The article examines the provisions of some international instruments relating to the responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts, and in particular those provisions which provide for attribution of conduct of individuals or groups of individuals acting ‘at the direction’, or ‘under the direction’, or ‘under the control’ of the State. The article discusses three main concepts of control, namely: strict control, effective control and general control. The authors analyse in detail the history of the emergence and development of each concept, as well as explain the main differences between them, and reveal their strengths and weaknesses. It is argued that strict control requires complete dependence of the organisation on the state, while effective control allows for autonomy of the organisation, but requires a certain influence of the state on its actions. Overall control emphasises the importance of structured interaction between the state and the group. The authors provide examples of the application of these concepts in the practice of international justice bodies, including the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, highlighting the difference in approaches to assessing control and responsibility of states. These examples demonstrate the difficulty of proving a certain level of control, which affects the resolution of disputes in international courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research of wartime diplomacy is becoming increasingly important under the influence of global challenges that threaten international security and stability. This study is devoted to the investigation of wartime diplomacy as a tool for the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The article provides a theoretical and legal research of wartime diplomacy in the context of pacific settlement of international disputes. The fundamental international legal acts that enshrine the basic principles of pacific settlement of international disputes are processed and their content is characterized. The main criteria for distinguishing between diplomatic and judicial means of resolving international disputes are proposed: the legal framework, the form of implementation, the subjects of influence and the nature of the result achieved. A brief historical discourse on the formation of the institution of diplomacy is formed and approaches to the definition of the concept of “diplomacy” are detailed. By using general scientific and special, empirical and theoretical, quantitative and qualitative methods of scientific research, the phenomenon of wartime diplomacy is detailed through the prism of the proposed criterias, in particular, identifies the features of this category through its legal framework, forms of implementation, subjects of influence and the nature of the achieved results. The purpose of wartime diplomacy is formulated. The goals, forms and methods of wartime diplomacy in the context of the issues under study are highlighted. The research also examines the wartime diplomatic tools aimed at preventing or resolving international conflicts, in particular: diplomatic conferences, сonsultations, congresses, meetings. Particular attention is paid to “peace conferences” as means of implementing military diplomacy, and three types of peace conferences aimed at resolving conflicts are distinguished: a conference that either follows a “major” conflict or is held to negotiate the termination of one of them; a conference to promote “general” world peace or to mitigate and resolve the outbreak of a conflict; global conferences [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the qualification features of illegal deprivation of liberty or abduction of a person by a representative of the authorities under martial law. It is concluded that the qualification of illegal deprivation of liberty or abduction of a person by a representative of the authorities in the conditions of martial law has been not the subject of an indepe ndent scientific analysis. The aim of the research is to determine the algorithm for the qualification of illegal actions of a representative of the authorities, which are related to the illegal deprivation of liberty or abduction of a person under martial law. To realize the aim of the article, the following scientific methods have been used, such as: formaldogmatic one has been used for legal analysis of the powers of servicemen of the Territorial centers of recruitment and social support and policemen during mobilization measures; the method of comparative analysis makes it possible to compare the degree of social danger of individual criminal offenses associated with liberty deprivation of a person by a representative of the authorities; the statistical method makes it possible to determine the quantitative indicators of individual criminal offenses related to the deprivation of liberty of a person by a representative of authorities. The methods of analysis and synthesis makes it possible to propose specific algorithms for criminal offenses qualification related to the deprivation of liberty of a person by a representative of the authorities. The research emphasizes that the mechanism of limiting constitutional human rights and freedoms in Ukraine under martial law conditions does not determine the possibility of limiting the rights and freedoms guaranteed in Art. 29 (right to freedom and personal integrity), Art. 55 (right to judicial protection), Art. 62 (presumption of innocence), Art. 63 (right to protection) of the Constitution of Ukraine. It was established that due to incorrectly set priorities and the absence of a clear mechanism for the implementation of mobilization norms, some representatives of the authorities distorted the mobilization by committing criminal offenses, in particular, illegal deprivation of liberty or abduction of a person. Artificial latency of criminal offenses related to mobilization committed by representatives of the authorities has been established. Qualification algorithms of the government representative actions who commits certain illegal actions during mobilization under martial law are proposed, such as: according to Art. 365 of the CC of Ukraine; Part 5 of Art. 426-1 of the CC of Ukraine; according to Part 1 of Art. 146-1 of the CC of Ukraine; according to Art. 186 of the CC of Ukraine; according to Art. 187 of the CC of Ukraine; according to Art. 397 of the CC of Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the analysis of the provisions of international human rights law and international humanitarian law regarding the protection of the right to property, in particular the permitted limitations of this right, the relevant practice of international human rights courts and international criminal tribunals, the connection between the institution of derogation and the law of armed conflicts, as well as problematic issues of the protection of the right to property damaged during the russian-Ukrainian armed conflict. The author considers the provisions of some international treaties, which provide for the protection of the right to own property in peacetime, as well as the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights related to the violation of the right of applicants to own their property in accordance with Protocol No. 1 to the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in connection with an international armed conflict or a situation of occupation. The author also analyzes the provisions of some sources of international humanitarian law regarding property as an object that must be protected during armed conflicts, in particular in occupied territories, and also provides examples of cases of international criminal tribunals, in whose decisions the destruction of property was recognized as a component of crimes against humanity. The author examines the question of the relationship between the sources of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in the context of the protection of the right to peaceful possession of property. The peculiarities of the institution of derogation in the context of the right to property in the conditions of an international armed conflict are analyzed. Ukraine's derogation from its obligations under international human rights treaties, including the right to peaceful possession of property, in the conditions of russian armed aggression, is studied. In addition, in the context of the armed conflict between Ukraine and russia, the objects of property rights and the interested subjects of the right to property, which is violated or limited as a result of military operation, are singled out, and the collective dimension of the right to property, which was damaged during the russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific article is dedicated to the study of international and foreign practices of compensation for war crimes. The article analyzes legal mechanisms and tools used for compensating victims of war crimes in various countries of Europe and the world. The main focus is on the practice of international courts, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as national judicial institutions that handle war crime cases. Specific cases and decisions that have influenced the development of law enforcement practices in this area are examined. One of the key aspects of the work is the analysis of international treaties and conventions that regulate compensation issues, including the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, as well as the Rome Statute of the ICC. Various compensation models are considered, including monetary compensation, rehabilitation, and other forms of reparation. The article also explores the role of non-governmental organizations and international funds in the process of compensating war crime victims. The effectiveness of different approaches and mechanisms used to ensure justice and restore the rights of victims is ana lyzed. The work pays attention to the problems and challenges faced by law enforcement agencies when handling war crime cases, as well as the prospects for improving the international legal mechanism for protecting the rights of victims. The research is based on the analysis of specific cases, court decisions, and legal acts, allowing conclusions to be drawn about the current state and possible ways of developing the compensation system for war crimes. Thus, the article contributes to the scientific discussion on improving the mechanisms of legal protection for victims of war crimes and ensuring justice in in ternational law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is indicated that the realization of rights and freedoms is the practical implementation by citizens and other participants of social life of the demands provided for by the constitutional norms to satisfy requests and needs or obtain the necessary material and spiritual benefits in the manner established by law. Therefore, the mechanism for the realization of rights and freedoms is, first of all, a complex procedural and legal order for the realization of rights, freedoms and obligations, in which the law establishes a certain algorithmic nature of the order of implementation, its procedure: the sequence of actions of the bearer of rights and freedoms and the obliged subjects rights, as well as the content of these actions, the implementation of which is aimed at the most complete and accurate use of the right or freedom. In the opinion of the authors, since the factors influencing the consolidation of the value guidelines of the constitutional system are usually found at each specific stage of the development of the state, and which certainly affect the content of the principles in general, and the principles of the constitutional system in particular, the above list should be supplemented, at least one is the level of ensuring national security of the state. Considering the above, according to the authors, it would be quite logical to take advantage of the situation of potential reform of the fundamental principles of the constitutional system. Within the scope of the research, taking into account the issue of violation of the state sovereignty of our country, the modernized Constitution of Ukraine is intended to become a nationwide political and legal treaty and a fundamental law of national law. At the same time, the amended Constitution of Ukraine must ensure the proper implementation of all value guidelines of the constitutional system: people's sovereignty, human rights, the rule of law in relation to the universal principles of modern constitutionalism - legality, proportionality, legal certainty, responsibility and subsidiarity in the legal provision of rights and freedoms person and citizen, the independence and impartiality of the court, the prohibition of the retroactive effect of the law, etc. (which are now doctrinally considered as components of the principle of the rule of law). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Ongoing military conflicts in various regions of the world have a significant negative impact on women’s health, including access to health services, maternal mortality and general well-being. Objective of the review: to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impact of war on refugee women, highlighting key areas such as physical health, mental health, reproductive health and access to basic services. Analysis of literary data. Numerous barriers faced by women in armed conflict are considered. The main problems include insufficient transport connections, financial constraints, poor quality of medical services and cultural norms. The destruction of the health care infrastructure, the lack of medicines and personnel significantly limit the availability of reproductive health care services. These factors contribute to an increase in the number of home births without qualified support, which increases the risk of maternal and child mortality. Also important is the psychological impact of war, including stress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which are common among pregnant women. In addition, malnutrition and environmental toxins further complicate the situation, undermining the health of women and newborns. Thus, conflict-induced food insecurity leads to malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women, causing adverse health outcomes such as anemia, low birth weight, and increased susceptibility to infections. Exposure to environmental toxins from modern weapons, such as heavy metals, poses long-term health risks to pregnant women and their babies. In particular, toxins can affect the emotional and cognitive development of children. Conclusions. This review highlights the urgent need for comprehensive health services, integrated medical and psychosocial support, and targeted interventions to address these challenges. Improving access to quality health care, ensuring food security and mitigating environmental risks are critical to improving maternal and child health.

This article presents the main features of the historical genesis of the international security paradigm shift from its institutionalisation to the present day. It is shown that such genesis is sinusoidal in nature and related to the well-known 'Kondratiev waves', except that, unlike the latter, it is not economic in nature, but security in nature. In a historical and geopolitical context, five successive shifts in the international security paradigm (Pre-Systemic, Westphalian, Vienna, Versailles, Yalta-Potsdam, Unipolar) are distinguished as a normatively recognised system of international relations of war and peace, based on all countries' adherence to universally recognised principles and norms of international law, as enshrined in relevant international treaties. The main factors of the end of the era of the unipolar world and the growing role of 'fragile' states in the international security environment as potential objects of international military interventions and spaces for the deployment of local conflicts and wars were characterised. It was concluded that the war in Ukraine is a key trigger for a new paradigm shift in international security and the emergence of a new system of international relations, and that the outcome of the Russian-Ukrainian war will determine the 'starting positions' and strong arguments in the hands of the United States of America and its allies against China and its allies during the inevitable new global security conference on the creation of a new world order.

It is indicated that the problems of the interaction of international humanitarian law and international human rights law lie in the different historical origins, evolution and application of these two branches of law. The complexity of the interaction between the IHL and the ICRC lies in their extraterritorial action and different personal spheres of application. IHL undeniably applies to international and non-international armed conflicts, regulating the conduct of states and armed groups, while the IHL is recognized as the basis of law in peacetime, but also applies in periods of conflict. Finding the points of intersection between international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL) in the context of armed conflicts is the main objective of this section. The merger of these two legal fields, traditionally divided into separate areas of responsibility in peacetime and wartime, has gained unprecedented importance in the legal analysis of modern conflicts. The impetus for the development of the new paradigm was the rapid evolution of the nature of war, characterized by the emergence of asymmetric warfare and the blurring of the boundaries between state and nonstate actors. Such transformations in the theater of war require a nuanced understanding of the legal instruments used in this context, which emphasizes the need for this analysis. The urgency of the issue is emphasized by the changing dynamics of international practice. The recognition by the International Court of Justice of the continued applicability of IHRL in conflict and the definition of IHL as lex specialis emphasizes that the legal landscape is in constant flux. At the heart of this analysis is the difficulty of determining the applicability of IHL, a task that is complicated by the problems of classifying conflicts as international or non-international. The principle of derogation - whereby states may temporarily suspend certain human rights obligations - creates an additional layer of complexity, affecting the interpretation and application of laws during armed conflict. Many provisions of international human rights conventions define the protected interest and then provide that any restrictions must be justified by reference to a list of aims, which varies from article to article and treaty to treaty, that are necessary for the achievement of the aim in question and are proportionate to its achievement. In this way, the IHRL provides a mechanism for balancing the requirements of individuals with those of others or the community itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article emphasizes that protecting the rights and interests of children is the most important task of any democratic state. International human rights law and international humanitarian law regulate the rights of children and their protection, as well as the respective obligations of states and non-state institutions in this area. The universally recognized mechanism for the protection of children's rights remains almost unchanged, but in the conditions of martial law, new circumstances arise in which children's rights may be violated, especially the right to protection from violence and ill-treatment. The main violations of children's rights are: recruitment of children, use of prohibited weapons to wage war, obstruction in the provision of humanitarian aid, deprivation of citizenship, illegal deportation of children, murder and mutilation, damage to health care facilities, educational institutions, which leads to the impossibility of realizing the rights of the latter. The article describes the peculiarities of the legal regulation of the status of a child who suffered as a result of hostilities and armed conflicts. The legislation of Ukraine does not contain a uniform approach to the protection of children during the violation of certain types of rights and freedoms. In addition, some of the existing guarantees have no practical application due to the lack of a mechanism for their implementation or inconsistency with the realities of today. The international community, together with Ukraine, implemented a mechanism to protect and restore the rights of Ukrainian children. The violated rights of children during a full-scale invasion must be protected and restored through both national and international institutions. In this context, the Children of War platform created in Ukraine plays an important role. This is the only platform that collects information about children affected by war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the legitimate conditions for limiting the right to freedom of movement as established by international standards. It was determined that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains universal conditions for limiting all rights, without singling out freedom of movement. However, the act establishes general principles such as the exclusivity of restriction terms, formal certainty, and completeness of the list of restriction goals. Later documents supplemented these conditions with the social necessity of the restriction and the proportionality of the means of restriction with their legitimate goals. In the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in Protocol No. 4 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the legitimate purposes of restricting freedom of movement were separately defined. These include the protection of national security, public order, the health or morals of the population, the rights and freedoms of other persons, and the prevention of crimes. These limitations are exhaustive, and national legislation should not go beyond them. The author analyzed the conditions for admissibility of restricting the right to freedom of movement under normal and emergency conditions. It was concluded that general requirements apply to the restriction of the right to freedom of movement during a state of emergency (armed conflict), as well as to restrictions under normal conditions. These requirements include prohibitions of destruction and excessive restriction that would be contrary to international human rights standards, as well as encroachment on the essential content of the right to freedom of movement. The criteria for the admissibility of restrictions on the right to freedom of movement, such as legality, necessity, and legitimacy of the purpose of the restriction, should also be applied. However, under extraordinary conditions, such as a state of emergency, there are increased demands. The right to derogate from international human rights obligations is possible in the presence or imminence of public danger within the limits corresponding to the severity of the situation and according to the procedure of official and public notification. Characteristic signs of restriction of the right to freedom of movement in the conditions of an emergency are their massive but temporary nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the modern challenges of human rights protection during the armed conflict, in particular in the context of the need to introduce the legal regime of martial law, which was introduced due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against the sovereign, democratic and legal Ukrainian state. The article focuses on the analysis of critical aspects of the protection of human rights in the context of armed conflict, emphasizing the difficulties arising from an aggressive invasion of a sovereign, democratic, and legal state. Special attention is paid to strategic priorities for the restoration and protection of human rights that have been seriously affected by military actions. The article argues the need for a specific legal framework adapted to the conditions of wartime armed conflict and the key priorities of post-war reconstruction. The article provides a detailed analysis of national legislation and relevant international legal norms and an attempt to identify and recommend effective strategies for strengthening the protection of human rights. Emphasis is placed on the need for legislative changes and reforms that would ensure rights and civil liberties and be consistent with European and international standards, thereby strengthening legal guarantees against potential human rights violations. The article provides a critical review of existing legal gaps that impair the protection of human rights during armed conflicts and discusses the key role of the international community and legal institutions in upholding justice and accountability. In addition, it is proposed to implement innovative legal measures and integrate the norms of international humanitarian law to strengthen the legal infrastructure, which is necessary for the effective restoration and protection of human rights and civil liberties. The article reveals modern scientific and professional discussions, emphasizing the urgent need for active and strategic legal measures that meet European and international standards, ensuring the protection of human rights in the complex conditions of military conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Ongoing military conflicts in various regions of the world have a significant negative impact on women’s health, including access to health services, maternal mortality and general well-being. Objective of the review: to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impact of war on refugee women, highlighting key areas such as physical health, mental health, reproductive health and access to basic services. Analysis of literary data. Numerous barriers faced by women in armed conflict are considered. The main problems include insufficient transport connections, financial constraints, poor quality of medical services and cultural norms. The destruction of the health care infrastructure, the lack of medicines and personnel significantly limit the availability of reproductive health care services. These factors contribute to an increase in the number of home births without qualified support, which increases the risk of maternal and child mortality. Also important is the psychological impact of war, including stress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which are common among pregnant women. In addition, malnutrition and environmental toxins further complicate the situation, undermining the health of women and newborns. Thus, conflict-induced food insecurity leads to malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women, causing adverse health outcomes such as anemia, low birth weight, and increased susceptibility to infections. Exposure to environmental toxins from modern weapons, such as heavy metals, poses long-term health risks to pregnant women and their babies. In particular, toxins can affect the emotional and cognitive development of children. Conclusions. This review highlights the urgent need for comprehensive health services, integrated medical and psychosocial support, and targeted interventions to address these challenges. Improving access to quality health care, ensuring food security and mitigating environmental risks are critical to improving maternal and child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the development of a criminological model of firearms trafficking control in the context of transitional justice for Ukraine. It is established that illicit firearms trafficking lays down long-term trends of deterioration of the criminogenic situation, including in the post-war period, and in the future threatens to strengthen the functionality of organised criminal groups and a surge in violent criminal activity. The article proposes a criminological model for establishing control over firearms circulation which provides for: 1) preservation of the existing legal regime of firearms circulation for civilians until the end of the armed conflict and the legal regime of martial law; after the lifting of martial law, a balanced legalisation of civilian (short-barreled) weapons with strict control, verification and constant monitoring is required; 2) for military personnel (including those discharged from service): a) a special type of exemption from criminal liability under Articles 263 and 410 (regarding misappropriation of firearms, ammunition, explosives or other munitions) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, subject to presentation for inspection, registration and issuance of a permit (de lege ferenda); b) obtaining a permit (de lege ferenda) for storage of firearms (in the amount of no more than one unit per person) and ammunition (in the amount of no more than 60 pieces); 3) criminal liability for violation of the conditions of the permit to keep and carry firearms. It is concluded that the enhancement of criminal liability for the illegal acquisition, transfer or sale of firearms, ammunition, explosives or explosive devices under martial law or a state of emergency is an example of excessive criminalisation of socially dangerous acts. Law enforcement agencies, by complying with the requirements on the general principles of sentencing (Article 65, paragraph 11, part 1, Article 67 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), have sufficiently effective tools to assess and take into account the degree of social danger of various manifestations of illegal handling of weapons. The proposal is to supplement the disposition of Part 1 of Art. 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine with an indication of such an object of a criminal offence as a constructive part of a firearm, setting it out in the following wording: “Carrying, storing, purchasing, transferring or selling firearms or their constructive parts (except for smooth-bore hunting rifles and their constructive parts), ammunition, explosives or explosive devices without a permit provided for by law – …”.

The legal principles of receiving and using international aid received by Ukraine from foreign donors - foreign states and international organizations - are considered. The risk criteria in the provision of lethal weapons to the Defense Forces of Ukraine and the desire to ensure even greater control over the provided lethal weapons and its diversion outside the country and even to the European black market during the decision-making process regarding aid to Ukraine were assessed. As an example, the former Yugoslavia, where it was not possible to fully control the circulation of weapons during the wars. In response to the Russian Federation's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Council of the European Union on February 28, 2022 adopted an unprecedented decision (2022/338/CFSP) to finance and supply 450 million euros of lethal military aid to the Ukrainian Defense Forces [3], an amount that was doubled by Decision (2022/471/CFSP) dated March 23, 2022 [4]. But in this rush to war, the European Union's strict arms control framework was given little consideration. In particular, the Council of the European Union has not publicly formulated how it takes into account the risks of a long-term conflict in Ukraine, such as the diversion of weapons to the Russian Federation and unwanted non-state armed groups; the post-conflict proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the concomitant growth of transnational crime and regional instability, and even the potential for accusations of war crimes by the Ukrainian side against Russian prisoners of war [5]. The formulation of these risks during the decision-making process of the European Union regarding Ukraine is of great importance. The right to collective self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter provides a fundamental legal basis for the provision of international military assistance to Ukraine by individual states. But the specific powers of the European Union regarding the financing and coordination of such supplies are contained in the new European Peace Fund (hereinafter referred to as the EPF), created in March 2021 [6]. However, the powers of the European Union in the EFM are determined by the criteria for evaluating arms exports to the European Union. Common Position (2008/944/CFSP) dated December 8, 2008, and the International Arms Trade Treaty dated December 24, 2014 (hereinafter - Arms Trade Treaty) [7]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is dedicated to exploring the legislation of Ukraine in the sphere of regulating war crimes. The research is based on the analysis of normative acts of international humanitarian and criminal law, which have established serious violations of the laws and customs of war and equated them with serious international crimes. Additionally, attention is focused on the longstanding experience of international institutions dealing with the regulation of the mechanism of punishment for war criminals. For Ukraine, the issue of war crimes has become relevant in the conditions of armed conflict caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation. Currently, the number of these crimes is gradually increasing. By the end of 2023, over 109,000 instances of war crimes committed by the Russian armed forces had been documented. Alongside, the number of criminal proceedings for violations of the laws and customs of war is increasing. It was further noted that deficiencies in the legislative definition of war crimes and the lack of necessary legal practice in such a specific category of offenses lead to difficulties in qualifying war crimes. The basis for qualifying a crime is the composition of a criminal offense. In Ukraine, there is a single provision providing for criminal liability for violations of the laws and customs of war -- Section 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This article lacks both a definition of war crime and a clear objective aspect of the offense, and the punishment is less severe compared to other general criminal statutes. Section 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is generic. Due to such wording of war crimes in Ukraine, the practice of additional qualification of violations of the laws and customs of war under articles on torture, intentional grievous bodily harm, intentional moderate bodily harm, intentional minor bodily harm, coercion to testify, etc., has spread. Avoiding difficulties in qualifying war crimes can be achieved through access to sources of international humanitarian and criminal law. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is one of the most important legal acts that has codified the entire range of elements of war crimes and detailed them. Ukraine is a signatory to the Rome Statute, but has not yet ratified it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Budapest Memorandum for Ukraine (the official name is the Memorandum on Security Guarantees in Connection with Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) was the result of negotiations on the disposal of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, its nuclear weapons were deployed or stored in four of the fifteen successor states: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. This raised important questions of security and protection, as well as command and control; and Moscow and Washington agreed that Russia should be the sole nuclear successor to the Soviet Union. The United States recognized that it would have to offer security guarantees to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine to persuade them to hand over their Soviet-made nuclear weapons to Russia and join the NPT as non-nuclear-weapon states. In coordination with London and Moscow, Washington drew up a package of security guarantees. These assurances were set out in the Budapest memorandums regarding Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. France and China – the other nuclear-weapon states recognized by the NPT—have offered their own guarantees unilaterally. The Budapest Memorandum on Ukraine confirmed the obligation to respect the independence, sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine (according to the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) of 1975); to refrain from the threat of force or its use against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, as well as from any use of weapons against Ukraine, except in cases of self-defense or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations; and refrain from economic coercion against Ukraine in accordance with the Final Act of the CSCE. The memorandum also reiterated the positive and negative security guarantees provided to all non-nuclear-weapon state parties to the NPT. This scientific article is devoted to the study of the significance of the Budapest Memorandum for Ukraine and its influence on the possibility of the country joining NATO. The historical context of the conclusion of the memorandum is studied, the key obligations are determined and the consequences of their violation are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the current security situation in Ukraine, in particular due to the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine. The article examines the prospects of Ukraine’s membership in NATO and suggests ways to resolve unfulfilled expectations and restore the international community’s trust in the commitments made within the framework of the memorandum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the current problems of the functioning of the International Criminal Court, in particular the main problem – insufficient expected effectiveness, problematic issues of jurisdiction, initiation of proceedings, duration of proceedings and its influence on the effectiveness of the ICC, as well as the issue of proper cooperation between the ICC and states. It is emphasized that the establishment of international criminal justice bodies was a response to impunity for committed international crimes, which arises due to the ineffectiveness of national legal systems in the fight against international crimes. It is emphasized that the effectiveness of the International Criminal Court largely depends on cooperation with states and international organizations, as well as available financial and human resources. It is concluded that there is an urgent need for the international community to review the mechanisms of response to those states that, by not extraditing suspects, de facto contribute to impunity for committed international crimes; effective countermeasures and sanctions by states and international organizations should be applied to them. Emphasis is placed on the expediency of amending the Rome Statute in accordance with Article 121 of the Rome Statute, giving the International Criminal Court unconditional ratione materiae jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, as is the case with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It is emphasized that the International Criminal Court should become a permanent court that will have such jurisdiction; in its turn, this will reduce the risk of committing new armed aggressions. A partial solution to the problem of the excessive length of criminal proceedings at the ICC is proposed by increasing funding and recruiting additional personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is dedicated to revealing the state of legal provision for the international legal protection of the environment from criminal acts during armed conflicts. Attention is drawn to the fact that international legal obligations of states regarding environmental protection during armed conflict are only contained in a few environmental treaties, but simultaneously in special agreements that are applicable in the presence of armed conflict and are sources of international humanitarian law. It is noted that from the general principles of the impact of war on international treaties, it follows that the termination of an international treaty at the onset of war is an exception to the rules, not a mandatory act. According to Articles 61 and 62 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969 regarding impossibility of performance and fundamental change of circumstances, it is established that war is not a basis for the automatic termination of treaty obligations, including environmental ones, by the parties to the conflict who have become parties in peacetime, which is also stated in the Draft Articles on the Impact of Armed Conflicts on Treaties of 2011 prepared by the UN International Law Commission, which includes a reference to a provisional list of treaties whose subject matter implies that they continue to apply during armed conflict, among them – treaties on international environmental protection. The standpoint regarding the necessity of developing a codified international instrument, which would consolidate the currently disparate provisions for regulating environmental protection issues in conditions of armed conflict, compensation for damage caused, etc., as a source of international environmental law, is supported. It would also address existing problems in legal application, such as the narrow and imprecise definition of the threshold level criteria required to prove environmental damage during armed conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preserving the full life of an elderly person as the most vulnerable category of the population in times of armed conflict raises many methodological, theoretical, and practical issues for scholars. The article is an attempt at a problematic and reflective analysis of the heuristic nature of the concept of successful ageing for the study of ageing of elderly Ukrainians in the context of the war with Russia. The paper presents a problem-oriented review of contemporary Western literature on successful ageing. In addition to the basic empirical and theoretical works, a significant part of the theoretical analysis is based on the results of the most significant meta-analytical studies on this topic. The methodology of problem-oriented and integrative analysis was used to determine which problem areas of the concept of successful ageing can contribute to its study in wartime. The potential and limitations of the modern concept of successful ageing are considered. Eight problem areas of this concept are presented, which reveal certain contradictions, debatable issues, and gaps, which are simultaneously directions for the development of both the concept itself and its research in the context of war. Among them: vagueness of the criteria for successful ageing and its dilution with similar concepts; interaction of biomedical and psychosocial contexts of successful ageing; limits of responsibility for the success of ageing in the context of the “person – society” dichotomy; socio-structural inequalities between older people and the inability to age equally “successfully”; discrepancies between subjective and objective indicators of successful ageing; dominance of the Western model of successful ageing and levelling of its cultural specificity; integration of individual, social and scientific conceptualization of successful ageing. The author analyses the most promising theoretical and methodological concepts and theories of successful ageing that are most relevant to the problem of ageing in war. The literature review presented in the article will help to draw attention to the problem of improving and preserving the full life of an elderly person in the context of armed conflict. The results of the research will be useful to scholars and practitioners for the further development of programmes to protect the mental and physical health of older people in war

Armed conflicts have caused extreme social crises worldwide, where children represent the most vulnerable group, often experiencing severe trauma and violence in war zones. Globally, one in four children lives in a country affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters, or epidemics. This study aims to provide an overview of research on the psychological impact of armed conflicts on children, including the types of mental disorders that result after war trauma and interventions to minimize psychological damage after exposure to war and conflict. The research was based on a systematic review of the literature, using the Elsevier, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases. Key terms used in the research include: war and mental health or armed conflict, children or refugees and trauma or exposure to war trauma; and post-traumatic stress disorder. Children’s continued exposure to war trauma is associated with mental health problems including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, dissociative disorders, depersonalization, derealization, numbing, catatonia, and behavior disorders, especially aggression and violent criminal behavior. Based on the studies used, the results show that the crises caused in children by wars has significant effects on mental health, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, sleep disorders, and suicidal thoughts. The cited studies recommend increasing human resources for the identification, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and psychosocial support of children who are evacuated from war zones to other countries.

This article is concerning on the actual problem of criminal responsibility for illegal deportation of children. It has been stressed by the author that illegal deportation of children is of particular concern, although it is almost impossible to document and establish the total number of such cases at the occupied territories. Certain problems arise in the qualification of such encroachments under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which should be taken into account when developing the draft of a new one. An emphasis has been made upon the definition of the term of "child" in international law and national legislation. It has been established that international law has a clear mechanism for the protection of children's rights against illegal displacement or deportation. It has been also noted that the national legislation has an acute problem in the regulation of the use of the terminology "deportation", "forcible displacement" and "illegal removal" and the definition of criteria for their distinction. An analysis of the provisions of the drafts of Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and other legislative acts of Ukraine regarding forcible displacement of a person in conditions of armed aggression" (Reg. No. 8326 dated 12/30/2022) and Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding forcible displacement of a person outside the territory of Ukraine" (Reg. No. 9204 dated 04/13/2023) has been made, their shortcomings have been indicated. It has been demonstrated that the Article 11.5.11. "Illegal abduction of a child" of the draft of the Criminal Code refers to the abduction of a child. The main direct object of such criminal act is the freedom of the child, which proves that this act cannot be attributed to Book Eleven. "Crimes against the international legal order" of the draft of the Criminal Code. Based on the results of the study, it has been concluded that the illegal deportation of children poses a threat to the national security of Ukraine; the necessity of further scientific development of this issue has been augmented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the issue of identifying the crime of genocide committed by Russia since 2014 during the armed aggression against Ukraine, as well as its punishment. It is emphasized that in international legal theory, in international and national practice, there are broad and narrow approaches to the identification of genocide. The broad approach recognizes as a completed crime the intention to "destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such", i. e. it is enough to publish calls for genocide or to start implementing genocidal intent. Instead, the narrow approach assumes that the intent to commit genocide must be realized. It is concluded that it is expedient to form national judicial practice in Ukraine based on a broad approach, that is, to consider the intention to commit genocide as an already completed crime. It is emphasized that the formation of national practice is also important for the international investigation and prosecution of genocide, taking into account the universal criminal jurisdiction for punishment for this crime, i. e. the right of states to prosecute and punish relevant persons regardless of the place of their commission of the crime or the citizenship of the accused or the victim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation and operation of an international compensation mechanism for Ukraine in the context of the international legal responsibility of russia as an aggressor state is one of the most discussed topics, which is extremely important for our country in view of the amount of damage caused and the perspective of post-war reconstruction, and at the same time, it is quite complex and debatable in view of the existence of a whole complex of unresolved and controversial issues. The purpose of our research is to reveal the components of the international compensation mechanism for Ukraine as an instrument of implementing russia's international legal responsibility for the damage caused by its armed aggression against our state, paying special attention to the most problematic issues of its creation and functioning. It was established that such a compensation mechanism should: 1) be created in accordance with the norms of international law; 2) have an organizational structure that would correspond to its tasks; 3) to clearly define the temporal, subject, personal and territorial jurisdiction of the created bodies; 4) provide reliable sources of funding for payments to claimants; 5) ensure an effective system of enforce ment of relevant decisions. Each international compensation mechanism was created to settle certain conflict situations associated with causing mass damage and had its own peculiarities. The uniqueness of such a mechanism for Ukraine is determined by a number of factors, namely: it must be created before the end of the war, the future treaty on its establishment must solve not only the issue of the international legal responsibility of russia, but also the problem of overcoming its immunities, it is possible for Ukraine to launch the mechanism without prior consent of the aggressor state - in the form of countermeasures as a response to the scale of the damage caused and the seriousness of violations of international law. The main source of funding for the mechanism should be the confiscated assets of the aggressor state, which were frozen at the beginning of the armed conflict in Ukraine and abroad, as well as the property of sanctioned persons involved in the commitment of international crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of protection of cultural property during armed conflict has long been considered in the doctrine of international law of Ukraine under the prism of the bitter experience of destruction in Yugoslavia in 1990, Afghanistan and Iraq in 2000, Syria and other countries. However, starting in the spring of 2014, we began to receive our own examples of the consequences of the armed conflict that began with the annexation of Crimea and the taking of control of several areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Much of the scholarly work on the protection of cultural property during armed conflict usually contains a general analysis of international and national legal acts in this area, but there is insufficient attention to the applied aspects and the issue of international responsibility for such offenses. The purpose of the article is to determine the basic rules of international humanitarian law applicable to the protection of various types of cultural property in the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and also the rules determining the degree of responsibility for the offenses and crimes in this area. It is established that, first of all, the protection of cultural property during an armed conflict is regulated by international law, and the norms of national legislation specify certain provisions. The key document is the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of May 14, 1954, which enshrines the protection of cultural property in two classical aspects: positive protection, which imposes on the State the obligation to prepare for the protection of cultural property in peacetime, preparing it for the potential consequences of armed conflict, and negative protection - respect for cultural property - prohibition of the use of cultural property for military purposes and prohibition of attacks on such property. In the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine there are two main areas of cultural property protection: taking appropriate measures in the territories where active hostilities are taking place, as well as protecting cultural property located in the occupied territories and returning illegally exported property from these territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines problematic issues of countering human trafficking in the context of the international armed conflict in Ukraine. It has been established that human trafficking is a crime that has both a national and an international dimension, as it should be considered both an ordinary and a war crime. It was emphasized that the international armed conflict that has been going on in Ukraine since 2014 caused the emergence of new trends in the field of human trafficking. New schemes of this criminally illegal act have emerged, related to use of Ukrainian citizens in the armed conflict as labor force or direct participants in this conflict. Women and children who leave for other countries in connection with the occupation and indiscriminate shelling of Ukrainian territories, in certain cases become victims of human trafficking subjects who disguise their business as volunteer activities. It was established that the lack of an effective system of criminal prosecution for war crimes committed in Ukraine contributes to various manifestations of human trafficking as a war crime. It is argued that it is extremely important to develop an effective and efficient mechanism to counter this shameful phenomenon both at the national and global (interstate, international) levels. In addition to developing and consolidating the regulatory and legal basis for combating human trafficking, important directions are also: 1) establishment of an effective mechanism of interaction: both at the international and at the state level (between state institutions and public organizations in this field); 2) informational and explanatory work among the population, aimed at preventing the commission of specified illegal acts against them; 3) raising the professional level of specialists who work in the field of providing assistance to refugees, as well as providing assistance to persons affected by human trafficking; 4) development and implementation of post-conflict rehabilitation programs for persons who became victims of trafficking and violence during armed conflicts. It is proposed to consider the possibility of recognition as a qualifying or particularly qualifying feature of the crime provided for in Art. 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, its commission in conditions of armed conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim: To study the problem of insomnia in Ukrainians during the first 11 months of the martial law in the country. To determine the predominant type of insomnia in the population. To calculate and assess the risk indicator for the development of cardiovascular complaints in the context of deteriorating sleep quality during the martial law and the risk ratio. Materials and methods: Anamnestic, statistical and calculative methods were used. 321 participants from Ukrainian population took part in an anonymous online survey. 210 respondents were female (65.4 %) and 111 were male (34.6 %). The age distribution was as follows: 18-19 years old (23.1 %), 20-21 years old (14 %), 22-23 years old (28.7 %), 24-25 years old (8.1 %), 26-27 years old (6.2 %), 28-29 years old (6.2 %), 30 years and older (13.7 %). The questionnaire included several sections: general questions regarding the respondents’ characteristics and presence of sleep disorders; questions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [2]; subjective assessment of the sleep quality of the respondents during the first 11 months of the martial law and the presence of cardiovascular complaints that appeared or intensified during this period; details of mentioned complaints. Results: 245 respondents (76.3 % of 321) of the entire sample reported about sleep disturbances that developed after February 24, 2022. According to the PSQІ, only 17 respondents (7 %) scored 0-7 points, indicating the absence of insomnia, 180 respondents (73 %) scored 8-14 points, suggesting subclinical insomnia, 48 respondents (20 %) scored 15-21 points, indicating clinically significant insomnia. 209 (85.3 %) attributed these changes to the wartime events in the country. The most significant deterioration in sleep quality during the first 11 months of martial law in the country was observed in March 2022 and the best level of sleep quality was indicated in July. The odds ratio in risk calculation was 3.01; the significance level of the obtained data is 0.006. Conclusions: Subclinical insomnia dominates among Ukrainians during the martial law in the country. There is an increased risk of cardiovascular complaints in the population of Ukraine in the presence of clinically significant sleep disorders related to the martial law. Prolonged exposure to stress for Ukrainians can result in deteriorating sleep quality and increasing in cardiovascular complaints.

The mechanisms and processes used in post-conflict countries that contributed to the restoration and ensuring of sustainable peace after the end of armed conflict or active hostilities are analysed. Among the elements of transitional justice, the author identifies those whose implementation is appropriate and possible before the end of the active phase of the conflict in Ukraine: bringing to individual responsibility, recording, documenting and collecting evidence of crimes allegedly committed on the territory of Ukraine (including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression), cooperation with the International Criminal Court on international crimes, determining the procedure for bringing the top military and political leadership of the russian federation to justice (tribunal); establishing the circumstances of the conflict and recording them, which is especially important in the context of information and psychological operations and other methods of hybrid warfare used by the Russian Federation. With regard to reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence of the conflict, it is already advisable to discuss both issues, develop strategies for compensating Ukraine for losses and act during and after the de-occupation of the territories. It has been also noted that the issue of exemption from liability and punishment may be raised during negotiations on the terms of ending the conflict, as well as the issue of mitigation of punishment in case of guilt and cooperation in establishing the truth. In this aspect, the experience of Colombia has been analysed with a reservation regarding the individualisation of the concept of transitional justice, taking into account specific circumstances. In particular, it has been determined that for Ukraine, the experience of transitional justice in Colombia can be taken into account when addressing a number of issues of amnesty, organisation of work of truth commissions and others, with an understanding of the different nature of the conflict in Colombia, which is purely internal (non-international armed conflict).

The article reviews certain issues of maritime contractual practice in the Russian-Ukrainian war context. Maritime supply chains have been heavily impacted by the devastating effect of hostilities which have shaped regional crisis practices for eighteen months. Changes in public order concerning the introduction of martial law in Ukraine have posed a significant challenge for the national maritime industry and all foreign actors involved. Military threats have necessitated updating charter-parties’ force majeure and war risk sections. They have also changed insurance policy and formed new judicial practice.

The article examines the problem of poverty in Ukraine under the conditions of the Russian invasion. By the invasion of Russia, the author understands the large-scale war that has covered the entire territory of Ukraine since February 2022, since hostilities on the territory of Ukraine have been ongoing since 2014. The problem of poverty is especially relevant today, because in the conditions of armed conflicts, impoverishment affects the absolute majority of people. In the case of Ukraine, even people who, according to their social and economic characteristics, were confidently in the middle class, became poor. The article emphasizes that at the time of the beginning of the invasion, the Ukrainian economy did not have the necessary «strength margin». The standard of living in Ukraine throughout the period of independence has remained relatively low, which is proven by statistical data. So, Ukrainians had rather small amounts of savings, which adversely affected their lives after the beginning of the Russian invasion. A number of consequences of the armed conflict were identified, which directly or indirectly affected the level of poverty. Thus, the destruction of housing, by definition, determines the transition of a person to the category of citizens who are in a state of poverty. Given the number of people whose homes have been destroyed or significantly damaged, quick recovery is impossible given Ukrainian realities. The destruction of industrial facilities, road infrastructure, shopping areas, etc. is significant. Accordingly, citizens were left without work and the means of livelihood. A significant reduction in the territory controlled by Ukraine led to the loss of a significant part of the coastline and the complete loss of access to the Sea of Azov. It is emphasized that Russia gained control over a significant part of Ukraine’s natural resources. Special attention is paid in this article to Russia’s appropriation and smuggling of grain from Ukraine. Loss of life, health of citizens, mass evacuation and mobilization negatively affected the economic situation, which is discussed in detail in the work. The claim is made that evacuated citizens pay taxes, buy goods and services in host countries, supporting the economies of other countries. It has been proven that a decline in the level of education can have a long-term impact on economic development and the level of poverty. Peculiarities of the impact of the Russian invasion on the development of human capital in Ukraine have been studied. The thesis is expressed that the state and business bear an obligation to observe social responsibility. Special attention is paid to the impact of the war on the energy infrastructure. It has been demonstrated that Russia’s targeted attacks on the Ukrainian electricity industry are significantly harming the country’s economy. The list of consequences of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine given in the article is not complete. Moreover, a complete list with an exhaustive classification cannot be created by definition, because a significant number of facts have not yet become known. In addition, some effects will manifest only after a certain time. But it is already possible to state the need to involve the entire civilized world in order to restore the economy of Ukraine. The article uses the achievements of economic, political, sociological, psychological and other sciences, taking into account the interdisciplinary synthesis and pluralism of approaches. Modern trends in the interpretation of the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are analyzed.

The article provides theoretical analysis of the problem of the peculiarities of life prospects of forced migrants during the armed conflict in Ukraine. Critical situations, natural disasters, and armed conflicts usually have a negative impact on the psyche of those who are involved in these events. The impact of traumatic events extends not only to direct victims but also to a wide range of individuals. The consequences of traumatization affect their families, surroundings, rescuers, and other workers. The authors present their views on life planning, based on three components. Life perspective is opened for those who have already created a system of life relations and support that become more valuable. Achieving life goals helps to reach life limits and, in a certain sense, guarantees the future. The main components of life planning are awareness of goals, determination of ways to achieve them, and understanding the significance of their implementation. Life perspective is a dynamic phenomenon that depends on the constant changes and adjustments in a person’s plans and goals. A person’s life position and value system are formed as a result of this process and determine the individual’s future. Planning a life perspective involves setting goals, defining ways to achieve them, and understanding the significance of realizing life plans. It is a constant process that depends on changes and adjustments in plans and goals, as well as on the realization of one’s values and the formation of a life plan. Today, there is information about 4 million people in the Unified Information Database on Internally Displaced Persons. Of these, over 2 million are people who were displaced due to the imposition of martial law. And of those, 1.9 million were forcibly displaced for the first time. The article mentions six main problems faced by forced migrants. It is stated that problems with adaptation to new conditions limit access to basic social services such as healthcare and education. It is emphasized that it is important to carry out social programs and projects aimed at improving the socio-economic situation of forced migrants. It is noted that an important component of social support is providing information about available services and resources that can help in adapting to a new environment. At the same time, it is stated that it is necessary to provide the opportunity for learning the language and culture of the country they have resettled in. It is necessary to consider the gender aspect and provide equal opportunities for men and women in the process of adaptation and obtaining social and psychological support. It is also noted that attention should be paid to the problems that arise in children of forced migrants. Children may need additional psychological support and education. It’s important to raise awareness among the public about the problems faced by forced migrants. This can be done through media, social networks, cultural events and so on. Coping behavior – a set of conscious conflict resolution strategies to deal with internal tension and discomfort – is an important form of the adaptation process and personality response to stressful situations, in addition to psychological protection. At the same time, there is a “balanced temporal orientation”, which is an idealized cognitive structure that allows a person to flexibly switch between the past, present, and future depending on the demands of the situation, resource assessments, or personal and social evaluations.

This work examines the issue of ensuring the right to life of various categories of persons in wartime conditions. In today's conditions, the relevance and importance of the right to human life, its realization and protection is obvious, because without such a fundamental right, all other rights lose any meaning. Life is a necessary condition for the realization of all human rights and freedoms. This right is enshrined in all human rights treaties and is part of universal internationa l law. It is noted that the decisions of international and national courts regarding respect for the right to life during an armed conflict are not always clear, as they often lead to threats to governments to withdraw from international human rights protection mechanisms. Mechanisms for protecting the right to life need improvement. On October 30, 2018, the UN Committee on Human Rights adopted General Comment No. 36 to Art. 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, where he tried to solve the main problems related to the protection of human rights to life. But, despite the adoption of such an important act, many questions remain open. The peculiarities of the state's obligations to protect the right to life in the conditions of a military conflict include issues of jurisdiction in the conditions of the occupation of the territory; the list of obligations of the state during an armed conflict; the limits of the need to use force in legitimate military actions, in the context of the need to counter terrorist acts, conduct special operations; peculiarities of the investigation of facts of deprivation of life. It was concluded that the right to life is an inalienable right of every person, which is guaranteed by the Basic Law of our country, normative legal acts and a number of international acts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the criminological analysis of the state and peculiarities of determination of the illegal possession of vehicles in conditions of armed aggression. It has been established that the dynamics of illegal vehicle possession in the context of armed conflict are unfavourable. There has been a significant increase in the number of criminal offences committed under article 289 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It has been established that the deterioration of criminogenic situation according to the criterion under study was due to the intensification of a number of factors, the leading place among which is occupied by situational factors. Four groups have been defined and described, which are identified with the components of criminogenic situations. Supervisory and deficit factors are a group of determinants of illegal vehicle possession that represent complex criminogenic situations, the characteristics of which are inadequate control, supervision of vehicles in a static location. In situations of armed conflict, these determinants are shaped by the urgency of leaving vehicles unattended, prioritising saving lives and health, personal freedom when there is a risk of combat exposure, and the occupation of territory. Criminal and combat factors of illegal possession of vehicles are formed as an element of the combat situation; possession of vehicles by civilians occurs either on the battlefield or in connection with the performance by representatives of the aggressor country (combatants and other participants in the armed conflict) of tasks harmful to the interests of Ukraine: illegal possession of vehicles by members of diversionary-intelligence groups or hostile (Russian) combatants during combat operations. Occupation factors are most intensively reproduced in the conditions of full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and are associated with the same large-scale and complex victimisation of the population who find themselves in the temporarily occupied territories. This category of citizens is completely deprived of legal guarantees of their rights and freedoms. Victim-urban factors are represented by a conglomeration of circumstances of criminogenic significance that form a situation of relaxed control over vehicles in places where they are forced to concentrate, for relatively long periods of time. These situations primarily involve the illegal possession of vehicles by internally displaced persons. The mass displacement of citizens from the northern, eastern and southern regions of Ukraine to the western region has created a shortage of secure, properly equipped parking spaces, making it easier for criminals to gain access to vehicles.

Purpose. The purpose of the work is to identify problematic issues of proof in criminal proceedings about criminal offenses related to the armed conflict in the aspect of judicial practice and to formulate recommendations for their solution at the level of law enforcement. Method. The methodology includes a set of methods of scientific knowledge: comparative-legal, formal-legal, systemic-structural, dogmatic (legal). Results: based on the results of the study, the problematic issues of proof and judicial practice in criminal proceedings on criminal offenses related to the armed conflict were formulated recommendations for practical workers. Practical significance: the results of the research can be used to specify the tasks of the investigation and to choose rational means of solving them based on a systematic approach in order to distinguish the facts that are subject to investigation as elements that make up the subject of proof, to identify the main features of these facts, to specify the areas and means of activities for identifying sources and carriers of information about these facts.

The “sea factor” has a crucial influence on coastal states’ domestic and foreign policies, and may create additional incentives for regional cooperation and integration. The Russo- Ukrainian War, the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, has become a stress test for many regional transport and infrastructure projects. Moreover, this armed conflict has had different effects in different cases. For the Three Seas Initiative, the Russo-Ukrainian war became an additional incentive to strengthen cooperation. It gave the initiative new meaning and even stimulated its expansion through the decision to grant partner status to Ukraine. At the same time, this conflict had negative consequences for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The war also led to the emergence of another area of cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey in the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The destruction of civil and industrial objects in Ukraine caused by a decade-long armed conflict, especially since February 2022, has led to extensive environmental pollution within the country, particularly in the waterways of the Black Sea basin. The consequences of these actions have also affected the state of the Black Sea, causing concern for the European Union and the global scientific community. Therefore, within the framework of the European program «Horizon Europe», funds were allocated for scientific research into the consequences of pollution in coastal water bodies and the Black Sea as a whole. In the 2023 «Horizon Europe» project competition, a proposal by an intergovernmental consortium of 7 scientific organizations from 5 countries was awarded the grant, including the State Institution «Scientific Hydrophysical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine». The project aims to create effective monitoring and quality control strategies for water, as well as the implementation of innovative technologies to reduce the impact of pollutants on the ecosystems of the Black Sea. The application of research results is planned for the development of environmentally sound recommendations and strategies for the conservation of the marine environment. The project involves collaboration between countries to address pollution issues and study the Black Sea, as well as the development of scientific approaches to water resource management in the region. Special attention is given to the development of educational programs regarding the impact of military pollution on the water ecosystems of the Black Sea region. This article describes the localization, factors, and types of pollution in waterways and the Black Sea basin, the project’s structure, types of activities, and the investigated water bodies in Ukraine, as well as the participation of SI «Scientific Hydrophysical Center of NAS of Ukraine» as a project participant.

The article is devoted to the characteristics of crimes against humanity as a category of international criminal law and in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine. It has been stated that corpus delicti of crimes against humanity reveal many features which have a common meaning with the features of war crimes, and this creates difficulties in legal application. A table of the norms relevance and their drafts on crimes against humanity and war crimes under the Rome Statute of the ICC and the draft UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity has been compiled. The criteria for distinction between these corpus delicti has been proposed. It has been established that the Criminal Code of Ukraine does not contain special corpus delicti of crimes against humanity. The conceptual direction of national criminal legislation improvement has been determined.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the ways of social security for internally displaced persons in the ongoing wartime context. To achieve the article’s purpose, the author used the methods of analysis (to analyze the current state of social protection and social security of internally displaced persons); monographic method (to reflect the situation with internally displaced persons in the ongoing wartime context); abstract-logical method (to summarize the collected material). Under current conditions, there is an increasing need for social protection and social security. Beginning with the Russian military aggression of 2014, such a group of the population as internally displaced persons appeared in Ukrainian society. According to Ukrainian legislation, as such person is treated a citizen of Ukraine, a foreigner or a stateless person who stays legally on the territory of Ukraine and has the right to permanent residence in Ukraine, who was forced to leave or abandon her/his place of residence as a result of/in order to avoid the negative consequences of armed conflict, occupation, widespread violence, human rights violations and natural or man-made emergencies. Internally displaced persons are people who have been forced to flee their homes suddenly as a result of armed conflict, internal hostility, systematic human rights violations or natural disasters, but stay on the territory of their own country. Currently, there are a number of social benefits for internally displaced persons on the territory of Ukraine, as well as international aid programs, in particular: the Ministry of Social Policy Program, the UN Government Program, the UN World Food Program, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Program, the Ministry of Social Policy Program in cooperation with UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, working together with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.

Problem Statement. Regional socio-economic development is characterized by diversity and multifacetedness and is stipulated with different impacts of factors. Ukraine has a pronounced spatial asymmetry of socio-economic development of regions; therefore, it is an important case for study of various components of regional unevenness. In the present context of post-Maidan crisis and armed conflict, study of uneven development of agrarian potential in Ukraine is becoming increasingly important, whereas it is important to assess and monitor the agrarian potential of regions for economic and food security of the country and regions. Research Methodology. The research focuses on assessment of the agrarian potential development of Ukraine’s regions in 2015 and 2018, rather than on an empirical comparison of the agrarian potential development of regions before and during the post-Maidan crisis and armed conflict. A hierarchical model for assessing the development of the agrarian potential of Ukraine's regions has been elaborated. Based on the factor analysis results, the individual influence of each factor on the development of the agrarian potential of regions was determined. Using the method of ranking and Kohonen Self-Organizing Mapping, the changes in the uneven development of the agrarian potential of Ukraine’s regions during the post-Maidan crisis and armed conflict period were investigated, and the trajectories of the development of this potential were revealed. This paper aims to identify the regional patterns of agrarian potential development and determine the factors that influenced its regional unevenness during the post-Maidan crisis and armed conflict. Results. The research results prove a spatial asymmetry and an increase in regional divergence in the agrarian potential development. The impact of socio-economic and production factors was revealed to grow and the impact of natural resources and macroeconomic factors on the agrarian potential development of the regions was revealed to weaken. The trajectories of agrarian potential development of the regions are determined; they are typified in nine types of trajectories of the agrarian potential development of the regions of Ukraine during the post-Maidan crisis and armed conflict. Recommendations are given on the regional policy in the agrarian sector of Ukraine in order to mitigate the uneven development of agrarian potential in the regions. Given that Ukraine is facing the problem of inconsistency of the institutional environment with the needs of agropotential development, it is very important to implement the institutional transformations, which should focus on harmonization of state and regional policy for the agrarian sector with EU principles.

The problems of persons with disabilities in general and with mental disabilities in particular, which have become even more acute in Ukraine with the beginning of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, have been highlighted. The purpose of the study is to determine the role and place of public associations in the process of realizing and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular persons with mental disabilities (permanent psycho-intellectual disabilities), during the war period, as well as formulating recommendations for improving the state of observance of rights and freedoms this category of persons. The objective impossibility of the population social protection state bodies, which are located in or near the places of hostilities, to perform their functions due to the existing danger for workers, as well as the impossibility of transferring these bodies to a remote work format, has been established. The use of a number of general scientific and special research methods has made it possible to analyzed the situation with respect to the rights of the specified category of persons in Ukraine in current conditions. A significant increase in the role and effectiveness of civil society institutions, in particular non-governmental public associations, has been noted. A conclusion has been made regarding the need to strengthen cooperation between these social service providers. It has been recommended to expand the participation of representatives of such public organizations in the process of making managerial decisions both at the state level and at the level of local self-government. Monitoring and analysis of the dynamics of the effectiveness of both state bodies of social protection of the population and non-state public associations in Ukraine by studying the opinion of the final beneficiaries, such as persons with disabilities, has been defined as a promising direction for further research.

Violation of laws and customs of war (article 438 of the Criminal code of Ukraine) is a war crime, which requires establishing contextual circumstances in the process of its qualification. These circumstances consist in the commission of illegal actions during an armed conflict of an international or non-international nature. The purpose of this article is to determine specific manifestations of violation of the laws and customs of war and to develop rules of qualification on this basis, if such manifestations constitute so-called "general criminal" crimes, responsibility for which is provided in separate articles of the Special part of this Code. Within the framework of the study, the contextual circumstances, in contrast to the approach in international humanitarian law, are not considered as defining characteristics that are the basis for assigning certain actions to the category of war crimes, but as a sign of the objective side of the relevant criminal offenses. The case of a violation of the laws and customs of war by committing criminal offenses indicated in other articles of the Special part of the Criminal Code is suggested to identify as a conflict of criminal law norms about "the whole" and "the part". Taking into account the rules of crimes qualification and with the aim of resolving that conflict, it is proposed to qualify these actions as a complex crime, if the violation of the laws and customs of war consisted in the commission of "general criminal" offenses, when they are equally or more socially dangerous than violations of the laws and customs of war. An assumption was made about the feasibility of defining special rules for the qualification of war crimes, in particular, the limited application of the principle of inadmissibility of double blaming and the need to qualify the actions of persons who violated the laws and customs of war as a complex crime in certain cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to highlight the specific features of criminal proceedings for war crimes committed in the context of the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine. The subject of the study is the identification of the category of "war crimes"; investigation of war crimes in the context of national legislation and case law. The study was conducted using dialectical, hermeneutical, systemic and structural, comparative legal, logical and normative methods. The author comprehensively examines the problem of distinguishing war crimes in the criminal legislation of Ukraine; mechanisms for documenting and prosecuting war criminals; and specific features of criminal proceedings for war crimes within the framework of a special regime of pre-trial investigation and trial under martial law. The author formulates proposals on the need to amend and supplement the current criminal and criminal procedure legislation in this area. Based on the study, the following specific features of war crimes investigation at the national level are highlighted: difficulties in classification due to the reference nature of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; reflection of contextual elements in procedural documents; special scope of proof due to the presence of contextual elements; the need to respect state secrets; difficulty in documenting due to security factors; specialization of units which investigate war crimes; consideration of the best practices of international protocols; a large number of non-state participants involved in documenting and the need to ensure the admissibility of the collected data in criminal proceedings; the participants with whom interaction is carried out in the investigation of war crimes; widespread use of OSINT; digitalization of factual data collection and preservation of evidence; participation of prisoners of war in criminal proceedings; diverse interpretation of the evaluation categories provided for in Article 615 of the CPC of Ukraine for deviating from the general procedure of criminal proceedings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the analysis of international normative legal acts in the context of determining the criteria for armed conflict. In addition, the authors pay attention to the wording of this concept for the proper qualification of the form of armed violence. The authors also explore the effect of international humanitarian law in the event of an armed conflict, because participants of an international armed conflict are obliged to comply with international humanitarian law applicable in such conflicts. The main sources of international legal regulation of armed conflicts include the so-called “Geneva law” and the “Hague Law”. The category of an “armed conflict” in international relations was first used in the Geneva Conventions of 1949, where, along with the term “war”, the concepts of “international armed conflict” and “non-international armed conflict” are used. In addition, the authors emphasize that the concept of an armed conflict should be distinguished from other related concepts such as war, internal unrest, tensions and acts of violence. The distinction between “war” and “armed conflict” is rather arbitrary. In particular, it is believed that the concept of an “armed conflict” is broader and encompasses the concept of “war”. However, not every armed conflict can be called a war, because war has the following features that are not inherent in an armed conflict: the act of declaring war; severance of diplomatic relations between the belligerent states, which is a consequence of the war declaration; the cancellation of bilateral treaties, especially political ones. The autors think that that today one of the most acute problems in the practice of an international humanitarian law application is the lack of a clear and complete definition of all situations to which its provisions should be applied. Thus, international humanitarian law only describes situations that should be regulated by its norms. At the same time, there are still no clear and unambiguous criteria by which such situations can be identified

Humanitarian crises caused by armed conflict are constantly growing and present a serious global problem for health systems. The war in Ukraine produced about 4.8 million Ukrainians seeking temporary protection abroad, and about 10 million received the status of an internally displaced person. The situation in Ukraine has been described as potentially the largest migration crisis in Europe in the last century. As humanitarian crises become widespread and prolonged, chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) are becoming increasingly important. Food security, li­mited access to medical facilities and medicines, and economic difficulties are just some of the many difficulties faced by patients with DM in armed conflict. The experience of the functioning of the health care system in conditions of armed conflict, on the example of other countries, shows that in the short term, the priority should be to ensure the continuity of insulin therapy and access to basic oral sugar-lowering agents and educational programs for patients on self-control of the disease with an emphasis on recognizing the symptoms of hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and dehydration; in the long term — ensuring access to high-quality medical care and medicines, training of local and international providers of medical services for the diagnosis and treatment of DM and its acute complications and the development of clinical guidance on the management of patients in these conditions. Humanitarian crises in the world have become more protracted, and therefore health workers must go beyond direct basic primary care and address the long-term health consequences of those affected. Further research is needed to be aimed at improving the quality of medical care for patients with DM in the context of the humanitarian crisis caused by the armed conflict, there is a need to develop simplified, cost-effective models of monitoring the condition of patients, the quality of medical care and the availability of medicines to patients in this category.

Children have been widely used as pawns in the Colombian armed conflict. International conventions on children’s rights view child soldiers solely as victimized and traumatized; criminalizing the use of children under the age of fifteen in active hostilities. This paper aims to approximate the reality of Colombian child soldiers, versus the approach taken in other jurisdictions, where child soldiers have been the prosecuted in situations of armed conflict. In making this approximation, we attempt to answer the question of whether it is lawful to prosecute former child soldiers in post-conflict Colombia.

The maritime industry in Ukraine has now been under significant pressure for eight years. The illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014 created a gray area which included a portion of Ukrainian coastal waters around Crimea, where Russia exercises effective control. Disputes over coastal state rights and shipping transit created fertile ground for further bellicose actions and costly vessel detentions. In that period, Russia exerted hybrid pressure on Ukraine’s maritime industry. This involved the creation of various obstacles to freedom of navigation through the construction of the Crimean bridge and the complication of the passage of ships through the Kerch Strait; the closure of significant sea areas by the Russian Federation under the pretext of military exercises; and Ukraine’s actual loss of control over a significant part of the EEZ, among others. With the start of a full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian maritime industry became the target of direct and indirect attacks. Ukrainian ports and other maritime infrastructure in Ukrainian-controlled territories are regularly subjected to rocket attacks, while the Russian occupation administration loots captured ports. Ukrainian ports have also been indirectly damaged by the blocking of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. This article analyzes the legal aspects of the naval blockade of Ukraine, and the legal actions taken by the Ukrainian maritime authorities and the maritime industry to mitigate the consequences of the ongoing armed conflict.

The article focuses on the issue of Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee abroad due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the complex and challenging legal framework for their protection. The study reviews relevant literature and previous studies on the legal framework for the protection of refugees, with a particular focus on the situation of Ukrainian refugees. The methodology for this article includes a comprehensive analysis of the existing legal instruments and frameworks that are applicable to refugees, including the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the Temporary Protection Directive. The study aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the legal protection of Ukrainian refugees by providing a detailed analysis of the legal framework and identifying specific areas in need of improvement. The objective of the study is to further examine the legal framework for the protection of Ukrainian refugees and to identify ways in which the current system can be improved to better protect this vulnerable population.

The purpose of the study is to characterize the vision of residents of certain districts of Donetsk region, controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, until the full-scale invasion of the Russian Armed Forces into Ukraine, ways to resolve the armed conflict. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, scientific, authorial objectivity, systematicity, comprehensiveness, critical analysis of sources, as well as the use of general scientific (analysis, comparison, synthesis, generalization) and interdisciplinary (sociology) methods. The scientific novelty of the obtained results is determined by the fact that for the first time in domestic and foreign historiography it is considered how Donetsk residents living in the controlled territory sought to solve the problem of achieving peace in Donbas. Conclusions. Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine in 2014 led to the temporary occupation of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In this situation, the locals began to strive for peace. This problem was one of the most important in the socio-political discourse. Thus, Donetsk residents completely rejected military means, relying on diplomatic measures. However, if in 2015 the majority of respondents sought peace at any cost, today this share has fallen significantly and increased the number of supporters of its achievement under certain conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian crises caused by armed conflict are constantly growing and present a serious global problem for health systems. The war in Ukraine produced about 4.8 million Ukrainians seeking temporary protection abroad, and about 10 million received the status of an internally displaced person. The situation in Ukraine has been described as potentially the largest migration crisis in Europe in the last century. As humanitarian crises become widespread and prolonged, chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) are becoming increasingly important. Food security, limited access to medical facilities and medicines, and economic difficulties are just some of the many difficulties faced by patients with DM in armed conflict. The experience of the functioning of the health care system in conditions of armed conflict, on the example of other countries, shows that in the short term, the priority should be to ensure the continuity of insulin therapy and access to basic oral sugar-lowering agents and educational programs for patients on self-control of the disease with an emphasis on recognizing the symptoms of hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and dehydration; in the long term — ensuring access to high-quality medical care and medicines, training of local and international providers of medical services for the diagnosis and treatment of DM and its acute complications and the development of clinical guidance on the management of patients in these conditions. Humanitarian crises in the world have become more protracted, and therefore health workers must go beyond direct basic primary care and address the long-term health consequences of those affected. Further research is needed to be aimed at improving the quality of medical care for patients with DM in the context of the humanitarian crisis caused by the armed conflict, there is a need to develop simplified, cost-effective models of monitoring the condition of patients, the quality of medical care and the availability of medicines to patients in this category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]