Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the three areas of public international law which Russia has undermined during the Ukrainian conflict are the acceptance of Russia's position in the conflict, the use of force against Ukraine, and the passportization in Donbass. This paper intends to show that the assessing of the legality of Russian acts is not as challenging as perceived. Only the perseverance of public international law would allow for the declaration of Russian actions to be illegal and the prosecution of Russia. Ukraine has long played a significant if often underappreciated, position in global security. Today, the country appears to be at the forefront of a resurgent great-power rivalry, which many observers believe would shape international relations in the coming decades. Since the Cold War, Russia's intervention in Ukraine has caused Europe's worst security crisis, owing to a variety of factors. The first section of the paper delves into the meaning of the term "grey zone" in international law. The four parts that follow are devoted to analyzing specific Russian activities as examples of conduct conducted in international law's grey zones, the historical background—namely Russian participation in the Ukraine war, the legal classification of Russian actions, and passportization.

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