The article deals with the legal analysis of certain actions of the Russian Federation (RF), which have the factual nature of encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The problem raised in the article is complicated by the fact, that until February 2014, when the temporary occupation of Crimea began, the issue of Russia’s encroachments on the territorial integrity of Ukraine was almost not considered in scientific publications. At the same time, even the prospect of a military invasion was considered impossible due to the existence of a whole set of security guarantees enshrined in international memoranda and bilateral agreements on friendship, cooperation, and partnership between the two states. Now, analysing the historical retrospective, we have the opportunity to trace the connection between the constant oppression of Ukraine by Russia and the ultimate goal of the aggressor State.

The aim of the article is the international legal qualification of the actions of the Russian Federation on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, proving the presence in the actions ofthe Russian Federation in the period from 1991 to 2013 signs of planned targeted activity aimed at violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine and other principles of international law. The main results of the study are to qualify the chronological situations when the Russian Federation put pressure on Ukraine to weaken the latter, force it to take certain actions and remove obstacles to future military invasion of its territory.

The conclusions state that in its efforts to force Ukraine to act according to its own plans, Russia is capable of using any tools and measures. In most cases, the pressure of the RF on Ukraine was carried out openly, the application of pressure measures was reported publicly by the political leaders of the Russian Federation, in addition, such pressure was accompanied by the approval of regulations and administrative decisions. In some cases, threats of pressure were passed on to minor officials and denied by the Russian leadership’s press services. Consistent pressure of the Russian Federation on important sectors of the economy, as well as various attempts to destabilize the sociopolitical life of Ukraine indicates clear, gross, and systematic violations of international law, including the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, respect for their territorial integrity and signs of aggression and preparation for largescale aggression.

Bibliography

Authored books

1. Kappeler A, Nerivni braty. Ukraintsi ta rosiiany vid serednovichchia do suchasnosti (Knyhy-ХХІ 2018) (in Ukrainian).

2. Zadorozhnii O, Porushennia ahresyvnoiu viinoiu Rosiiskoi Federatsii proty Ukrainy osnovnykh pryntsypiv mizhnarodnoho prava (K.I.S. 2015) (in Ukrainian).

Edited books

3. ‘Perspektivy vzaimootnoshenij Ukrainy i Tamozhennogo sojuza Respubliki Belarus’ v Respubliki Kazahstan i Rossijskoj Federacii (Zhalilo Ja red, NISI 2011) (in Russian).

4. Transformatsiia partiinoi systemy: ukrainskyi dosvid u yevropeiskomu konteksti (Yakymenkо Yu red, Tsentr Razumkova 2017) (in Ukrainian).

Journal articles

5. Orttung R and Overland I, ‘A limited toolbox: Explaining the constraints on Russia’s foreign energy policy’ [2011] 2 (1) Journal of Eurasian Studies (in English).

6. Yakymenko Yu ta Lytvynenko O, ‘Rehionalni osoblyvosti ideino-politychnykh oriientatsii hromadian v konteksti vyborchoi kampanii – 2006’ (2006) 1 Natsionalna bezpeka i oborona (in Ukrainian).

7. Glaz’ev S, ‘Tamozhennyj sojuz v ramkah EvrAzJeS i Ukraina’ (2010) 10 Mezhdunarodnaja zhizn’ (in Russian).

Newspaper articles

8. Schmemann S, ‘Russian Parliament Votes a Claim to Ukrainian Port of Sevastopol’ The New York Times. July 10. 1993 (in English).

9. ‘Kvoty vyleteli v trubu’ Hazeta “Kommersantъ Ukrayna” (2013) 118 (in Russian).

Websites

10. ‘Belaja kniga narushenij prav cheloveka i principa verhovenstva prava na Ukraine (nojabr’ 2013 – mart 2014 gg.)’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).

11. ‘Predstavnyky Yevroparlamentu zaklykaiut YeS zakhystyty interesy Ukrainy v torhovelnii viini z RF’ (accessed: 30.08.2020) (in Ukrainian).

12. Alenichev V, ‘Situacija v Ukraine – jeto ne krizis, a vojna’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).

13. Illarionov A, ‘Byvshij sovetnik Putina: konflikt vokrug Tuzly stal probnoj vojnoj Kremlja s Ukrainoj’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).

14. Klishevich T, ‘Pochemu Rossija prodaet Belarusi prirodnyj gaz po samym nizkim v mire cenam?’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).

15. Korotkov D, ‘Spisok “riskovyh” importerov, kotorogo v Rossii “net”’ (accessed: 30.08.2020) (in Russian).

16. Mezentsev Y, ‘Kak delili Chernomorskij flot Ukraina i Rossija: edva ne doshlo do vojny’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).

17. Mishchenko M, ‘Svitovi ZMI pro Ukrainu: retsesiia, zradnyk Yanukovych ta nablyzhennia do “rosiiskoi kerovanoi demokratii”’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Ukrainian).

18. Naumov I, ‘Moskva, vospityvaja Kiev, mozhet perejti na lichnosti… Trudovye migranty… Oni zhe – ukrainskij jelektorat…’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).

19. Vagner A, ‘Separatizm na Ukraine: istorija bolezni’ (accessed: 29.08.2020) (in Russian).