Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Military, International Legal, Geopolitical and Economic Dimensions

Abstract

The purpose is to clarify and structure the content of the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which refl ects the nature and course of hostilities, to highlight the key milestones of the Russo-Ukrainian armed confrontation, as well as to analyze geopolitical, international legal and economic issues that directly or indirectly concern this confrontation.

Methodological approaches to the study of the specified number of problems are based on the use of interdisciplinary research tools at the intersection of history, political science, economics, military affairs, jurisprudence, as well as the theoretical and conceptual work of leading specialists in military history.

Scientific novelty is determined by clarifying the historical periodization of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in 2014—2023 and the specifics of each stage of the military actions of both sides; an attempt to project events in Ukraine through the prism of international humanitarian law as inextricably linked by internal logic, to refute individual euphemisms and incorrect concepts and concepts, and to present the author's interpretation of the relevant legal defi nitions; reproduction of the geopolitical and economic prerequisites of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Conclusions. Since 2014, the level of operational and strategic planning of the command of the Armed Forces has increased signifi cantly, which, in combination with the support of Ukraine’s international partners, made it possible to repel the Russian aggressors in the main areas of attack and inflict signifi cant defeats on them. The course of events in the last years convincingly indicates that an international armed conflict is taking place in Ukraine, caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian side has committed crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity, which should receive an adequate legal assessment in international judicial institutions or a specially created international tribunal. For decades, the Kremlin has used economic and political levers to ensure impunity, interference in internal affairs, and violations of the territorial integrity of several states in the post-Soviet space. The large-scale invasion of Ukraine and the brutal methods of waging war, the genocide of Ukrainians caused a radical transformation in the attitude of the collective West towards Russia, economic sanctions against it, and assistance to Ukraine in its confrontation with the aggressor.