International legal responsibility: the concept and institutional possibilities for Ukraine to obtain compensation for crimes committed by the Russian Federation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35774/app2023.03.109Keywords:
international legal liability, international law, armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, compensation (compensation) for damage, satisfaction of reparations, restitutionAbstract
The article examines the doctrinal foundations and legal grounds for compensation for damage to Ukraine within the framework of international legal responsibility for crimes committed by the Russian Federation. The author analyzes the relevant historical aspects of the possibility for injured parties to obtain compensation for damage caused in the course of interstate armed conflicts.
It is established that the proclamation of Ukraine's course towards European integration, as well as the desire of Ukrainians to win the armed conflict with the Russian Federation, leads to a rethinking of the essence and meaning of many legal concepts and basic concepts. In any legal system, one of the most important guarantees of human rights and the principle of justice is the use of international legal liability mechanisms, in particular its two integral aspects - political and material. In the context of the first, an individual state or a group of states have the right to receive reparations, restitution and, if necessary, to apply various forms of sovereignty restrictions. Satisfaction as a form of political responsibility implies the duty of the delinquent state to provide non-material satisfaction, in particular, to express apologies and regrets for the acts committed. Restitution implies the release of illegally occupied territories, or any other right of the state that will restore its «status quo».
The Treaty also stipulates that states have the right to receive reparations, contributions and restitution as part of their material liability. Due to the fact that in historical terms, contributions are viewed exclusively as an «open method of robbery» of the party defeated in an armed conflict, the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 prohibited the receipt of contributions. Instead, the state has the right to demand payment of reparations, which always have a legal basis. Scholars propose that reparations should be received not only by Ukraine but also by its allied states on the basis of the frozen financial assets of the Russian Federation. With regard to restitution, Ukraine has the right to return valuable works of art and other illegally stolen property, which are recorded in the relevant State Register.References
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