DEMOCRATIC CIVILIAN CONTROL OVER THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE: POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of political and institutional aspects of the implementation of democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The essence and content of the category of “democratic civilian control,” the political and legal foundations of its formation, mechanisms and forms of implementation in the context of state building and current challenges to national security are considered. It has been established that control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine is exercised through appropriate control processes, in particular, parliamentary, presidential, governmental, judicial, and civilian oversight. Within each of these, relevant expert procedures are carried out to effectively monitor the state of democratic civilian control over the security and defense sector of the state in general and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in particular. Attention is paid to the main shortcomings of the system of democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine, related to the actual level of democratization of the domestic political system, legal support for the implementation of civilian control, and problems with its effective institutional implementation. The article also draws attention to the optimization of the system of democratic civilian control over the Armed Forces of Ukraine, particularly in the context of a full-scale Russian invasion and the introduction of a legal regime of martial law. Emphasis is placed on a comprehensive approach to improving the control functions of the state and the public and the need for further interdisciplinary research on the stated topic.