POLICE POWERS IN THE CONTEXT OF ARMED AGGRESSION: LEGAL AND ORGANISATIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR THEIR IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

The article examines the administrative and legal foundations of the exercise of police powers under the conditions of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. It is substantiated that the introduction of martial law and the large-scale transformation of the security environment have significantly expanded the scope of functions and powers of the National Police of Ukraine, assigning to it a number of new tasks related to ensuring national security, protecting the civilian population, maintaining public order, documenting war crimes, stabilizing the situation in de-occupied territories, and cooperating with military command bodies and other components of the security and defense sector. It is established that the rapid development of legislation regulating police activities under martial law has substantially outpaced its scientific and doctrinal understanding, resulting in fragmented legal regulation and inconsistencies in law enforcement practice. Based on the analysis of constitutional provisions, national legislation, subordinate normative acts, and contemporary scientific approaches, the author proposes an original definition of police powers under conditions of armed aggression as a system of rights and obligations of bodies and units of the National Police of Ukraine, regulated by administrative law and aimed at ensuring public safety and order, protecting human rights and freedoms, combating crime, responding to extraordinary threats, and performing special tasks under the legal regime of martial law. Particular attention is devoted to identifying deficiencies in the existing legal framework governing police interaction with military command bodies, local military administrations, and other public authorities, as well as to determining the specific features of police activities in frontline and de-occupied territories. The study substantiates the necessity of further improving administrative legislation through the development of a coherent legal mechanism governing police activities during armed aggression and in the post-conflict period. It is argued that the establishment of a unified system of legal regulation will contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of police operations, strengthening legal certainty in the exercise of police powers, ensuring compliance with the rule of law, and increasing the level of protection of human rights under extraordinary security conditions.