Collaborationism in Ukraine: separate issues of the causes and conditions of committing a criminal offense

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the causes and conditions of Ukrainian collaborationism after the beginning of the so-called large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The author also studied a number of convictions of Ukrainian courts of various instances, in which the courts described the circumstances of the perpetrators of collaborative acts, and it was noted that during the pre-trial investigation and trial, insufficient attention was paid to the issue of establishing the causes and conditions of collaborative activity. This is also influenced by the fact that a large part of criminal proceedings were carried out in the mode of special pre-trial investigation and trial without the participation of the suspects/accused. At the same time, the author analyzes the reasons and conditions that determine the existence of the phenomenon of collaborationism in Ukraine, identifying their three main groups: ideological, ideological-material, and material. In particular, it is noted that ideological reasons are caused by a long-term purposeful ideological and propaganda influence on the citizens of Ukraine since Soviet times, which included cultural, educational, linguistic, ethnic, historical, religious, economic and other components. Taking into account that the vast majority of collaborators (almost 70% of the identified persons) committed the criminal offense provided for in Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine at the age of 40 and over, it is actually possible to assert that the Soviet ideology, which still had an inertial influence in the first decade of independent Ukraine. The author also emphasizes that occupation is a stressful and extreme situation for any person, which must be taken into account when assessing collaborative activities.