The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, launched in 2014, led to destructive consequences. In particular, being in a hybrid conflict, Ukraine has become an environment for various attacks, including terrorist and cyber-terrorist.

Establishing the truth circumstances of each specific incident and bringing Russia to justice is a priority to maintain international security, reduce the level of the global terrorist threat, and restore peace and justice in Ukraine.

In light of the urgency and importance of this problem, the purpose of this article is to identify and comprehensively analyse the possibility of bringing the Russian Federation to international legal responsibility for terrorist and cyberterrorist activities in Ukraine in accordance with applicable international law.

There are numerical evidences that the Russian Federation is responsible for organizing and preparing illegal abductions to commit terrorist acts in the territory of Ukraine. Such proves are at the disposal of authorized law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, negotiated within the framework of the international intergovernmental organizations, published in well-known media. Academics summarized testimonies in their scientific works and on the bases of it is possible to make an unambiguous conclusion thatthe Russian Federation is responsible for committing terrorist acts and for involvement in them; the connection of terrorist groups of DNR and LNR with the Russian authorities is also established.

It is worth to note that since 2014 there has been an intensification of cyberattacks in Ukraine with the participation, assistance and funding of the Russian Federation. The factual grounds for bringing the Russian Federation to international legal responsibility for cyberterrorist acts on the territory of Ukraine can be considered from the standpoint of violation of obligations established by international treaties in the field of counterterrorism.

Lack of direct reference to specific cyberattacks, that took place on the territory of Ukraine, in the statement of claim of the Government of Ukraine to the UN International Court of Justice of January 16, 2017 on violation by the Russian Federation of obligations under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of December 9, 1999 and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of December 21, 1965 (Ukraine v. the Russian Federation), as well as in the materials of the case that are publicly available, due to the general uncertainty of international law applicability in cyberspace.

There are undeniable facts of cyberattacks commitment on the territory of Ukraine through the Russian cyber infrastructure, as well as with the participation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is confirmed in the statements of many states, decisions of international organizations, including the EU. However, a state is obliged not to give conscious permission to use cyber infrastructure located on its territory or under its control to commit negative and illegal actions against another state. Moreover, the state is obliged to take all necessary and effective measures to stop such illegal activities.

 Russian Federation denies the existence of grounds for liability for terrorist and cyberterrorist acts. The task of Ukraine is to continue the investigation of cases, to intensify the initiated proceedings, to conduct propaganda (explanatory) work within the framework of international organizations, through bilateral negotiations, dissemination of knowledge at the level of academic society.

Determining ways to bring the Russian Federation to international legal responsibility for terrorist and cyber-terrorist attacks on the territory of Ukraine is an important condition for restoring justice, compensation for losses, as well as an element of the development of the state security circuit, including cybersecurity.

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