Bezprawie w imię prawa. Rosyjskie specjalne operacje wyborcze na okupowanych terytoriach Ukrainy

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to analyze what the authors describe as a special election operation related to the election of the President of the Russian Federation in the occupied territories of Ukraine. This is not the first case in history where Russia, using territorial expansion, attempts to legitimize its power in the territories under its control. The appointment of locals who are responsible for the implementation of procedures and mechanisms related to direct democracy (referendum, elections) is an instrument of “facade legitimacy” for unlawful actions. Research Questions: The basic research problem that the authors believe needs to be answered is the analysis of the conditions, mechanisms, concepts and ways of implementing special operations, and a critical analysis of the nature of these operations in relation to legal legalism. This is another mechanism to justify neo-imperialist policies as necessary to defend against threats from “degenerate Western civilization”. According to the authors, the analysis of this issue allows conclusions to be drawn regarding the interpretation of the axiological aspects of such concepts as “Putinism”, controlled democracy, and sovereign democracy. Methods: The research optics adopted by the authors imply the use of historical methods, comparative methods, institutional-legal analysis and exegesis of both official documents and source texts. Result of the study: The analysis carried out leads to the conclusion that electoral operations fall into the “neo-imperial instrumentality”, radicalizing Russia’s actions against the civilian population. This is due to the recognition of the occupied areas as part of the Russian Federation “forcing” the defense of “its territory”.