Missile Weapons as an Instrument of Crime: Issues of Criminal Liability and Jurisdiction -

Article

Open Access

by Andrey Ivanishchuk¹, Volodymyr Kutsenko², Viacheslav Boiko³, Oleksandr Zubov⁴ and Bohdan Kyrychenko⁵
¹ Scientific Institute of Maritime and Space Law (Kherson, Ukraine)
² Scientific Institute of Maritime and Space Law (Kherson, Ukraine)
³ Scientific Institute of Public Law (Kyiv, Ukraine)
⁴ Scientific Institute of Public Law (Kyiv, Ukraine)
⁵ University of Intellectual Property and Law (Kyiv, Ukraine)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29202/asl/11/3
Received: 20 April 2023 / Accepted: 08 May 2023 / Published: 25 June 2023

View Full-Text Review Reports Cite This Paper

Abstract

The article analyzes the system of national and international judicial and law enforcement bodies as subjects of criminal prosecution of Russian aggressors committing criminal acts in Ukraine using missiles. It is established that the Ukrainian subjects of criminal proceedings are local general courts, courts of appeal and the Supreme Court of Ukraine. From the point of view of international justice, it is proved that the Russian military personnel who are suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. It is emphasized that the military and political leadership of Russia may be brought to criminal responsibility to a special international tribunal for unleashing and waging of an aggressive war, which could be created by the states of the anti-Putin coalition.

Keywords: ballistic missiles, security, missile weapons, crime, international criminal responsibility, criminal jurisdiction, the Russian-Ukrainian war, humanitarian law, International Criminal Court.

References

Bagmatiuk, Olena (2022) How will the Russian leadership be prosecuted for the war in Ukraine? Public News. Available online: https://suspilne.media/417714-tribunal-dlaputina-ak-suditimut-rosijske-kerivnictvo-za-vijnu-v-ukraini-suspilne-videonovini/

Borsukova, Olena (2023) Sleep well, our blue-eyed girl: stories of 6 children killed by Russia in Uman. Ukrayinska Pravda. Available online: https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2023/05/4/254117/

Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine (2001) Holos Ukraine, June 19, 2001. ?107. Available online: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14#n3027

Crimes committed during the period of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation (2023) Office of the Prosecutor General. Available online: https://gp.gov.ua/

Hamaliy, Iryna (2023) Russian missile kills 45 people in Dnipro, including six children. LB.UA. Available online: https://lb.ua/society/2023/01/17/542848_dnipri_rosiyska_raketa_vbila_45.html

Kakhovka hydroelectric power station is destroyed. Ukraine claims it was blown up by the Russians (2023) BBC. Available online: https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news65818260

Kovtsun, Victor (2023) Seven attacks at the capital in the last seven days: four people, including a child, were killed. TSN. Available online: https://tsn.ua/exclusive/sim-atak-nastolicyu-za-ostanni-sim-dniv-chetvero-lyudey-sered-yakih-ditina-zaginuli-2343382.html

Mazur, Yevheniia (2023) I stood on the edge of the abyss: memoirs of a man who survived the attack on the Mariupol Drama Theater. 24TV. Available online: https://24tv.ua/spogadicholovika-shho-perezhiv-udar-po-dramteatru-mariupoli_n2275467#3

Miroshnychenko, Alla (2023) Anniversary of the tragedy in Mykolaiv: relatives demand to punish the traitors. UKRINFORM. Available online: https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubricato/3686475-ricnica-tragedii-u-mikolaevi-ridni-vimagaut-pokarati-zradnikiv.html

More than 1400 deaths as a result of the occupation of Bucha (2023) Zelensky Telegram. Available online: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/5691

Munich Security Conference (2023) BBC Ukraine. Available online: https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-64676728

Oleshchuk, Mykola (2023) Ukrainian air defense did indeed shot down an Kh-47 Kinzhal missile in the sky of Kyiv region. The missile was fired by a MiG-31K from the territory of Russia. Telegram. Available online: https://t.me/MykolaOleshchuk/43

On the Judicial System and Status of Judges (2016) Law of Ukraine of June 2, 2016, No. 1402-VIII. Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada, No 31, 545.

On the Security Service of Ukraine (1992) Law of Ukraine of March 25, 1992, No. 2229-XII. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Available online: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2229-12#Text

Robeyko, Olga (2022) Remote killing: the names of the Russians who aim missiles at civilian targets in Ukraine have been revealed. UNIAN. Available online: https://www.unian.ua/war/vbivci-distanciyno-hto-z-rosiyan-navodit-raketi-na-civilni-ob-yekti-ukrajiniimena-foto-12016284.html

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998) Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Available online: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_588#Text

Russia fired six missiles at Kryvyi Rih: where did they hit? (2023) UNIAN. Available online: https://www.unian.ua/war/udar-po-krivomu-rogu-skilki-raket-rosiya-vipustila-i-kudivoni-vluchili-video-novini-dnipra-12291480.html

Sakrevska, Sofia (2022) On the night of May 28, 2022, the Russian occupiers launched a missile attack at the city of Merefa in the Kharkiv region, destroying a solar power plant. Contentious Jurisdiction. International Court of Justice (ICJ). Available online: https://www.icj-cij.org/contentious-jurisdiction

SBU materials help to sentence Russian pilot who bombed Kharkiv TV tower to 12 years in prison (2023) The Security Service of Ukraine. Available online: https://t.me/SBUkr/7356

Shelling of Odesa before Easter. Many wounded and dead, a baby died (2022) The Office of the Prosecutor General. Available online: https://www.facebook.com/100064585280174/posts/356114556551384/

The Constitution of Ukraine (1996) Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, No 30, 141,

The International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine has officially started its work in the Hague (2023) ICPA. Available online: https://gp.gov.ua/ua/posts/v-gaazi-oficiino-rozpocav-svoyu-robotu-miznarodnii-centr-zperesliduvannya-za-zlocin-agresiyi-proti-ukrayini-icp

The SBU materials helped to convict a prosecutor who “handed over” Ukrainian Armed Forces’ positionings in Mykolaiv region to the enemy (2023) SBU. Available online: https://t.me/SBUkr/8790

The shelling of Vinnytsia on July 14, 2022, the head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, reports 30 wounded and 8 dead, including a small child (2022) The National Police of Ukraine. Available online: https://t.me/UA_National_Police/5494

Yakymiuk, Ilona (2023) The four hundred and seventy-sixth day of the war. Chronicle of events in the Odesa region. Suspilne Novyny. Available online: https://suspilne.media/506929-cotirista-simdesat-sostij-den-vijni-hronika-podij-v-odeskij-oblasti/

Yelchenko, Vladimir and Baryshnikov Maxim (2022) Formally, the procedure for depriving Russia of UN membership has already begun. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Available online: https://zn.ua/ukr/UKRAINE/formalno-protsedura-pozbavlennja-rosiji-chlenstva-v-oon-vzhe-pochalasja-eksperti-.htm

Share and Cite

Ivanishchuk, Andrey, Volodymyr Kutsenko, Viacheslav Boiko, Oleksandr Zubov, and Bohdan Kyrychenko (2023) Missile Weapons as an Instrument of Crime: Issues of Criminal Liability and Jurisdiction. Advanced Space Law, Volume 11, 27-38. https://doi.org/10.29202/asl/11/3

Back to the list of Articles