FORUM PRESENTATION RUSSIAN CRIMINAL LEGISLATION ON CRIMES AGAINST PEACE AND THE SECURITY OF MANKIND: A CRITICAL EVALUATION* By Gennady Esakov Author LLD, Kutafin Moscow State Law University, 2007 Professor, Head of the Criminal Law and Criminalistics Department, National Research University Higher School of Economics Email: gesakov@hse.ru Abstract The article is devoted to the issues of implementation of international humanitarian law provisions into Russian criminal law. <...> The article provides an outline of key problems presented in the provisions of the General and Special Parts of the Criminal Code of the Russian * This speech is based on research conducted within the framework of the Academic Fund Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in 2015—2016 (grant No 15-01-0015) and supported within the framework of a subsidy granted to the HSE by the Government of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the Global Competitiveness Program. www.kulawr.ru Volume 2 October 2015 Issue 2(4) Gennady Esakov Russian Criminal Legislation on Crimes against Peace and the Security of Humankind: A Critical Evaluation 297 Federation, as well as of their possible solutions. <...> The author also analyzes the fundamental issues concerning sources of criminal law and their conformity with international obligations. <...> Keywords International humanitarian law, international criminal law, Russian criminal law, Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, criminalization, implementation, international obligations, sources of criminal law DOI: 10.17803/2313-5395.2015.2.4.296-305 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction .297 II. <...> General provisions of criminal law and serious violations of international humanitarian law .299 III. <...> Special provisions of criminal law and serious violations of international humanitarian law .303 IV. <...> The Russian Empire was among the fi rst states in the world to include in its criminal legislation the elements of what would later be recognized as serious violations of international humanitarian law. <...> Whether the reason for it was a ‘cold war’ or it was caused by other social and Volume 2 October 2015 Issue 2(4) www.kulawr.ru 298 KUTAFIN UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW political processes is an open issue, however, by the end of the 1980s the loss of scientifi c interest in the issues of international humanitarian law became obvious in Russia. <...> It raises an issue <...>