The criminal-law component is the most important element of the state-legal mechanism for combating separatism. The existing system of criminal-law protection of state sovereignty and territorial integrity and inviolability should be aimed at protecting against all existing and possible manifestations of separatism, taking into account current trends of its development.
The methodological basis of the proposed article is traditional. In particular, used system-structural and formal-logical methods, which are covered by the general method of dialectical cognition.
Criminal responsibility for separatism can only occur for specific crimes in which separatism is manifested as a phenomenon. In this regard, it is inappropriate to accept proposals for the legislative definition of the composition of the crime of “separatism” because of the particular complexity of this concept, because separatism is a complex of actions, and the article usually assumes responsibility for a specific action. At the present stage, it is advisable to adopt a special law to counteract separatism in order to systematically counteract this negative phenomenon.
Criminal responsibility for separatist activity comes mainly under Art. 110 “Attack on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The so-called “separatist” acts may also be crimes under Article 109 “Actions aimed at violent alteration or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power”, 1102 “Financing actions taken for the purpose of violent alteration or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power, changes of borders of the territory or state border of Ukraine”, 111 “State treason”. The so-called “separatist” can be attributed to other crimes in certain cases. The so-called “separatist” can be attributed to other crimes in certain cases. It should be borne in mind that separatist activities may be accompanied by the commission of crimes under Articles 258 “Terrorist Act”, 2583 “Creation of terrorist group or terrorist organization”, 260 “Creation of non-statutory paramilitary or armed formations”, 341 “Capture of state or civil structures” etc.