THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN CONFLICT THROUGH THE LENS OF THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

Throughout history, especially after the Cold-War period, the Russian Federation manifested itself as a global power, engaging in many aggressive forms of warfare, ranging from conventional, to hybrid and informational. An important requirement in order to fully comprehend the legal consequences of their actions is to understand and analyze the international legal aspects, especially the International Humanitarian Law. This paper supports this initiative by raising awareness of all society members regarding the modus operandi of aggressive states that violate the International Humanitarian Law and the solutions provided by international conventions, such as the Geneva Conventions, international norms and customs. Methodologically, the qualitative research was integrated through the use of document analysis and a case study: the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The paper also presents the key differences between international human rights and international humanitarian law, a distinction which is often times confused by society at large. The evolution of international legislation regarding human rights and international humanitarian law is another aspect investigated in the study. In the end, the most important factor for protecting the civilian population is their knowledge of international legislation, as the key to halt all armed conflicts lies often in the societies' initiative and their pro-active actions.