Criminological features of military crime: new realities of a special military operation

Introduction: the article will be on the analysis of the change in the level, structure, dynamics of the military crime and persons committing it during special military operation. Materials and Methods: Main Informational and Analytical Centre statistics from 2017 to 2023, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation data, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation (data valued according to statistical method) were empirical basis for the study. Results: since the inception of the special operation, a general decline in crime has been observed in Russia. However, an increase in criminal activity has been noted with regard to crimes against military service, as defined in Chapter 33 of the Russian Criminal Code, and individual criminal encroachments related to the implementation of the state defense order. Crimes committed in conditions of armed conflict or warfare are of particular concern due to their potential impact on the combat capability and combat readiness of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This article presents a statistical analysis of the dynamics of military crime, including abuses in the field of state defense orders, for the period 2022-2023. The authors examine the organisational and legal measures implemented by the state with the objective of reducing the number of crimes committed in the context of a special military operation. Discussion and Conclusions: the author's findings led to the following conclusions: 1. The quantitative characteristics of the crimes outlined in Chapter 33 of the Russian Federation's Criminal Code demonstrate a discernible increase since the commencement of the special military operation. 2. A distinct category of criminal acts pertains to the perpetration of illicit activities in accordance with the directives of the state defense order, which collectively constitute a novel phenomenon in the context of criminality. During the period spanning 2022 to 2023, there has been a notable rise in the number of criminal acts pertaining to the misappropriation or embezzlement of budgetary resources within the context of the state defense order and the military-industrial complex.