Historical and Legal Foundations of the Formation and Development of Statehood and Law in the Context of Counteracting the Informational and Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine

The proposed article examines a complex of current historical and legal problems regarding the formation and development of Ukrainian statehood in the context of countering the informational and armed aggression of the Russian Federation. The genesis of scientific research is highlighted and the periodization of the history of statehood and law on the territory of Ukraine is given, as well as the peculiarities of their formation and development during specific historical eras. The results of the study of archaeological and archival materials on the relationship of social processes in Ukrainian lands and territories around the Black Sea with natural processes (climatic changes, seismic activity, movement of glaciers, development of chornozem, etc.) and the history of the Ukrainian people and statehood are presented. The ancient historical mission of the capital of modern Ukraine –, the city of Kyiv in different historical periods, is highlighted. It has been confirmed that the sovereign state – Ukraine is the legal successor of Kyivan Rus. Attempts by Russian historians, politicians and propagandists to appropriate the ancient history of Ukrainian lands in order to transform the history of the former Moscow kingdom into the history of the Russian Empire have been revealed. The basic imperial principles of the formation of Russian statehood as an authoritarian country and attempts to impose these principles on the occupied Ukrainian lands through informational and armed aggression are highlighted. The article considers reaction of the international community and international legal decisions made regarding Russian aggression and bringing to justice the guilty persons, including the top leadership of the Russian Federation, for committed international crimes in Ukraine.