Human rights in conditions of forced migration: international legal protection of ukrainians abroad in the context of war and environmental challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35774/app2026.02.135Keywords:
environmental migration, human rights, forced migration, refugee, international protection, temporary protection, legal statusAbstract
The relevance of the research is обусловed by the unprecedented scale of forced displacement of the Ukrainian population, as well as by the increasing interconnection between armed conflicts, environmental degradation, and migration processes. Contemporary international legal regulation faces significant difficulties in ensuring effective protection of persons displaced simultaneously by military actions and environmental factors, which determines the scientific and practical significance of the study.
The purpose of the article is to analyse the current state of international legal regulation concerning the protection of Ukrainians who were forced to leave the territory of Ukraine as a result of armed aggression, to identify the main guarantees of their fundamental rights and freedoms in host states, and to determine the shortcomings of existing international legal mechanisms in the field of environmental migration protection. Particular attention is devoted to the examination of international standards for the protection of refugees and displaced persons, the principle of non-refoulement, the mechanism of temporary protection, and the implementation of international human rights treaties.
The methodological basis of the research is formed by general scientific and special legal methods of cognition, including formal-legal, comparative-legal, systemic-structural, logical-legal, and legal analysis methods. The application of these approaches made it possible to comprehensively assess the current trends in the development of international migration law and to identify the peculiarities of legal regulation regarding the protection of displaced persons under conditions of war and environmental instability.
The study found that the current system of international law does not provide a comprehensive legal framework for regulating issues related to environmental migration, and existing international protection mechanisms remain fragmented and insufficiently adapted to modern global challenges, which are increasingly accompanied by large-scale environmental consequences. Proposals are made to improve international legal instruments by developing a universal regulatory framework aimed at ensuring effective protection of persons displaced as a result of the combined impact of military and environmental factors.
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