Critical infrastructure of Ukraine as a subject of scientific knowledge: theoretical aspect

The article is devoted to the study of theoretical aspects of critical infrastructure as a subject of scientific knowledge. The importance of critical infrastructure facilities for ensuring Ukraine’s national security, the stability of its economy and the state’s defense capability is determined. Legislative regulation in this area is analyzed, in particular, the Law of Ukraine «On Critical Infrastructure», «On National Security of Ukraine», the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, the National Security Strategy of Ukraine, etc. normative legal acts that contain definitions of terms. Attention is drawn to the fact that the violation of the functioning of the specified objects in the conditions of martial law may cause socially dangerous consequences for society and the state. According to the result of the comparison with foreign experience (USA, EU, Great Britain, China, Japan), it is proved that Ukraine takes into account international approaches to the protection of critical infrastructure, but has its own unique features caused by national threats and challenges. In the US, for example, critical infrastructure is defined as systems and assets so important that their failure to function or damage would have a devastating impact on security, the national economy, and public health. The European Union approaches this issue through the European Critical Infrastructures Directive, focusing on interconnection and coordination between member states. The UK takes care of cyber security, while China and Japan emphasize national control and resilience of facilities. Based on the analysis, recommendations were made for improving the legislative policy of Ukraine in the field of critical infrastructure. A conclusion was made about the relevance of the task of the Security Service of Ukraine to combat criminal offenses at critical infrastructure facilities, and practical recommendations for further improvement of this area were provided. It has been determined that the perspective areas of scientific research are the analysis of the experience of the countries of the European Union in terms of legal protection against criminal offenses at critical infrastructure facilities.