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In 2017, Russia’s policy towards NATO and other neighbouring countries, including persistent involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, remained the main threat to Poland’s security. On the other hand, the strengthening of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence potential has had a positive impact on Poland’s security, in particular by increasing the military presence of its members in accordance with the decisions of the NATO summit in Warsaw in July 2016. However, there was an ongoing debate regarding the scale and directions of further adaptation to the Russian threat, and uncertainty about the future of this process increased after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. The European pillar of Polish security was to be strengthened as a result of deep reform of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), including the activation of the mechanism of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF). At the same time, these efforts restored concerns about the possibility of the EU duplicating and undermining NATO’s efforts, including the adaptation process. The destabilisation of the Middle East, which distracted the U.S. and many European allies from the Eastern Flank, also remained a challenge for Poland.
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The article is devoted to the issues of competence of local self-government and its bodies during the introduction of martial law, and also to the analysis of amendments to the legislation in the field of local self-government aimed at redistribution of powers in the system of local self-government, and also to the introduction of conditions for ′′lawful interference′′ of a number of other entities in the process of exercising by local self-government bodies of their powers. The subject matter of the study is public relations related to ensuring further guarantee of local self-government activities under martial law, inviolability of its powers, and prevention of arbitrariness or usurpation of local self-government powers by public authorities. The purpose of the article is to study the functional and competence sphere of local self-government and to assess the impact on it by public authorities. The study applies systemic-structural and structural-functional, formal-legal, prognostic methods, the method of generalization, as well as the methods of analysis and synthesis. The author examines the current legislation with a view to clearly establishing the conditions for exercising the powers granted to local self-government bodies, as well as the cases, grounds and mechanism under which public authorities may take over the powers of local self-government. The author analyzes the conditions and grounds for early termination of powers of local self-government bodies and the scope of exercise of local self-government powers by military administrations. The legislation is studied to determine the moment and grounds for the transfer of self-governing powers of local self-government to state authorities. It is determined that the impact on the local self-government system by public authorities should be commensurate with the conditions in which the State is currently operating. The author concludes that under martial law, the activities of local self-government should be carried out in accordance with the rules clearly defined by law and should not go beyond the powers granted to them. In case of violation of such rules by the State, appropriate adequate measures should be taken.
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The article analyzes the changes in income taxation of self-employed persons due to the introduction of martial law. A comparison of the transformation in taxation of two types of self-employed persons, namely: individual entrepreneurs (who are on a simplified taxation system) and persons who conduct independent professional activities. The purpose of this article is to consider and analyze the features of taxation of income from independent professional activities during the wartime period. It has been established that the legislation provides for changes in the norms regarding terms, tax control, liability (penal sanctions), exemption from taxation, reduction of tax rates, etc. for various categories of taxpayers. It was found that there is no uniform approach to the taxation of incomes of such categories of taxpayers as natural persons-entrepreneurs and persons engaged in independent professional activity, which indicates a violation of the principles of equality, social justice, legality and a unified approach to the establishment of taxes and fees, contributes to the imbalance in the implementation of economic tax principles, formation of burdensome tax burden. The legislator did not create favorable conditions for taxing the income of persons engaged in independent professional activity. At the same time, the Tax Code of Ukraine stipulates that mobilized persons who carry out independent professional activities, who had or did not have hired workers, were called up for military service during mobilization or were involved in the performance of responsibilities for mobilization in positions provided for by wartime states, for the entire period of their military service are exempted from the obligation to calculate, pay and submit tax reports on personal income tax and military levy. Under such conditions, such persons, on behalf of their employees and for the duration of their military service under conscription during mobilization, authorize another person to pay wages and/or other income to employees, then the obligation to calculate and withhold personal income tax and military collection from such payments for the period of military service. But we must not forget that this norm existed even before the full-scale invasion. It was concluded that the legal regime of martial law and its legal consequences made adjustments to the legal regulation of taxation of income from independent professional activity. However, there is currently a discriminatory regulation of income taxation of persons engaged in independent professional activity. This indicates the need for the legislator to create favorable conditions for taxation of income from independent professional activity
More...The Rise of Czech-German Defence Cooperation
The article explores the driving forces behind the increase in Czech-German defence cooperation since the mid-2010s. We argue that the growth is due to several factors: Germany’s more active role in European security, an upgrade of the political framework of Czech-German relations and the Czech Republic’s need to modernise its armed forces. Further enhancement of relations was hindered by underdeveloped cooperation within the defence industry. The war in Ukraine has broken through this ‘glass ceiling’, and the quality of Czech-German defence cooperation is increasing.
More...Cognitive warfare and social impact operations
The aim of the article is to examine an overview of historical western military thought on Theory of War and its relationship to Cognitive Warfare nowadays, as well as Ukrainian evidence for the efficacy of global resistance to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The study results showed that understanding the genesis of Cognitive Warfare in the Ukrainian context over 2014-2023 focused on brain, as the battlefield, and using social impact and psychological operations, neurosciences, social engineering had the goal to destroy human thinking, behaviour, social and military identity not only of Ukrainians, but globally.
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Providing strategic warning to policy makers is a key function of governmental intelligence organizations. Today, globally networked challenges have increased so that warning efforts have become considerably bigger. Within the intelligence community it is recognized that many of the current warning problems arise from continued reliance on analytical tools, methodologies and processes that were appropriate to the static and hierarchical nature of the threat during the Cold War.
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The article discusses the theoretical principles of statistical research with regard to the national market of logistics services during wartime. The system of statistical indicators of the research of the logistics services market is structured through the allocation of separate blocks of indicators by priority of their estimation in war conditions. The market of logistics services of Ukraine is characterised by selected blocks of indicators. The paper identifies the main structural changes that occurred due to the hostilities faced by the country. Moreover, the authors determine the main factors influencing the functioning of the analysed market during war, as the statistical study of these factors is considered necessary for the transformation and development of logistics services. It is substantiated that taking into account such statistical indicators as the level and availability of logistics infrastructure, security, the human factor and changes in legislation are likely to result in a new alternative direction of logistics routes and contribute to the development of the logistics services market in general. The authors proposed the construction of a centralised electronic service (or several services) with the purpose of consolidating information about the logistics infrastructure. The software system should offer the option of an operational interactive visualisation.
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The history of the Polish Navy reveals a multitude of events concerning personnel matters, which in turn introduce us to the issues of loyalty and what I referred to as “development” in the title. By and large, we know quite a lot about the training and education of senior officers, although it may be that we look at the process too superficially and fail to see that it is not woven with exclusively positive values. In my article I raise that we are often saddled with misconceptions concerning the officer’s service, which we want to view in the pantheon of national glory, with the officer emerging as the embodiment of the superior soldierly and civic virtues. I referred to the Government Act – Constitution of 3 May 1791, but only to the extent of reiterating that „the army is a force drawn from the people” and stating “like nation, like army”. I attempted to strongly emphasize the principle of loyalty, because I believe that it gets lost in the maze of diverse qualities that we tend, often uncritically, to attribute to officers, and I considered “development” as one of the most serious challenges, because it essentially determines what officers guard our security.
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The relevance of this topic is determined to the fact that during the introduction of the legal regime of martial law, the activities of public authorities, in particular the executive, have certain peculiarities/ On February 24, 2022, the President of Ukraine, based on the proposal of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, in accordance with clause 20, part 1 of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On Legal Martial Law" introduced the martial law regime in connection with the invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which stipulate for changes in the work of executive authorities, in particular the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and cause to the formation of military administrations. The purpose of the article is to study of the legal nature of the martial law regime and the procedure for its introduction, to reveal the main peculiarities of the activities of the executive authorities, in particular the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and military administrations, during the introduction of the martial law regime, as well as the study of their interaction with each other. Achieving the outlined purpose became possible for the application of the used complex of methods of scientific knowledge, in particular, the dialectical method (for comprehensive knowledge of the nature of the legal regime of martial law and its conduct, determination of the order of formation and functions of military administrations, analysis of the peculiarities of the activity of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine), the formal-legal method (for establishing the content of legal norms), the formal-logical method (to identify deficiencies in national legal regulation), the comparative-legal method (to study the experience of other countries and determine the procedures for introducing the legal regime of martial law), communicative method (to determine the influence of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on military administrations and to analyze the directions of their interaction). The review of the current legislation of Ukraine and the legislative acts of other countries regarding the procedure for conducting and legal regulation of the martial law regime are analyzed. The nature of the emergence of military administrations has been analyzed, and it has been found that they are temporary bodies of executive power for the period of martial law. It is noted that is placed on their powers to ensure law and order and support the country's defense capability in the settlements under their control. The peculiarities of the activity of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine during the period of martial law were studied. The directions of interaction between the military administrations and the Cabinet of Ministers to ensure the functioning of all areas of the country's life have been clarified. According to the results of the study on avoiding any divergence in law enforcement approaches in the future, separate proposals were made to strengthen the accountability of the military administrations of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
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In regard to public and strategic modern communication, at least in one respect Considering the armed conflicts near the border of our country, more attention should be paid to national security; thus, all public institutions responsible for national security and defence should focus more on the combat training of subordinate personnel. As a NATO member state and through the role that our country has within the Alliance, in order to prove that we are a strong and respected state, we must constantly make efforts to be able to rise to the level of our partners within the Alliance. In this sense it is necessary to make progress regarding the use of the latest information and communication technologies, the modernization of military techniques and equipment, but also regarding the improvement of the level of physical training. In order to improve the fighting ability of the military, it is necessary to increase the level of their physical training, which can be achieved in the shortest possible time based on the methods and means of training used by the modern armed forces and their implementation in the design of physical training programmes from the very beginning of the military career.
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This paper will deal with the restrictions and prohibitions that exist regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction. International humanitarian law aims to limit the destructive effects of armed conflict. There are constant efforts to reduce suffering and destruction in armed conflicts to only the necessary measure. This paper will point out the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction, that is, the terrible suffering they cause, as well as the current situation in the international community regarding its prohibition and restrictions. The problem of this paper is to establish the limits of what is permitted and what is not permitted under international humanitarian law regarding weapons of mass destruction, as well as to determine the scope of those restrictions and prohibitions and their observance in practice. The work will determine the very goals of organizing and banning these weapons and their future reach.
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The main purpose of this article is to characterize the Polish Armed Forces. The study uses qualitative methods and the source of information was mainly the analysis of the content of documents and literature on the subject. In the first part of the article, the authors present the basic changes and assumptions of the Homeland Defense Act of March 11, 2022. Then they characterize the Polish Armed Forces. In the main part, the authors focus on the structure and tasks of the Polish Armed Forces. Summing up, they draw attention to the role played by the armed services in the military as well as civilian aspect. The aim of the research is to determine the role of the Polish Armed Forces in the security system of the Republic of Poland and to update the tasks and structure of the Polish Armed Forces introduced by new legal regulations. The study uses qualitative methods and the source of information was mainly the analysis of the content of documents. The literature on the subject served as a supplement to selected issues. The main problem of the research boils down to the question: What are the tasks of the Polish Armed Forces in the security system of the Republic of Poland and what changes do the new legal regulations bring to its structure? To answer this question, consider the following: 1. What does the Homeland Defense Act of March 11, 2022 change in the field of defence, including the Polish Armed Forces? 2. What are the types of the Polish Armed Forces and what tasks do they perform? 3. What is the role of command bodies of the Polish Armed Forces in the defense management subsystem?
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The information warfare of Russian Federation constitutes coordinated in time and place activities carried out both at the civil and military field. In the cognitive dimension, the goal of these activities are the people. Obtaining an information dominance requires the use of appropriate tools depending on the type and conditions of conducted activities, as well as the assessment of the enemy. The article in the first part presents the Russian approach to the issue pf information warfare as a tool for gaining information dominance. Next part present the methods and ways used by the Russian Federation to obtain an information advantage over the enemy – NATO and, in particular the USA. In the final part, reference is made to the current situation in the information warfare after the armed aggression against Ukraine.
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The demonstration activities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation at the border with Ukraine at the turn of 2021/2022 were aimed at adopting the Russian point of view in the revision of the current European order by the authorities of Ukraine, the USA and Western countries. Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, in political talks aggressively demanded recognition of the proposed Russian order in Central and Eastern Europe. The organizational and technical modernization of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, carried out over many years, made it possible for the president of the country to assume that Ukraine, the USA and the Western countries would be afraid of this demonstration of power and would agree to Russia’s revisionist demands. The effect was the opposite - Ukraine and the countries supporting this country were preparing for the worst option - war, rearming and training soldiers. Due to the lack of acceptance by all interested parties, the President of the Russian Federation changed the demonstration of military force into military aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
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The system of obligations to provide means of transport to the state in the period of the Second Polish Republic included both the obligations to provide them during peacetime and in the event of mobilisation or an outbreak of war. The present analysis covers only the latter case, i.e. it concerns the legal regulations on handing over, for remuneration, draught animals, carts, motor vehicles and bicycles for the defence of the state. The author reviews the Polish interwar legislation, paying attention to its evolution, and also analyses of the legal procedures related to the obligation to fulfi l administrative duties examined in the article.
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Russia’s large scale aggression war against Ukraine is a first step, never anticipated, in the direction of bringing back war into Europe, in the middle of the 21st Century. Even if only one year of war has passed, some lessons learned have brought into question the type of weapons, the ability to adapt and plan the transition from a peace time defence industry to a wartime industry capable of countering a war fought at wide scale. Moreover, some lessons are related to Ukraine's perspectives of winning for sure the war, but also to the time required to find a solution to such an aggression.
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The Caucasus Region is a growing market, with a high development potential. While it is an important hub for energy flows and freight transport, it is also a frozen conflict zone, generated by strong ethnic, cultural and religious segregation (an obstacle in attracting significant foreign investment and achieving a coherent development program).Seen by most of the parties involved as a geopolitical area of potential influence, the region has real development opportunities, but it could be drawn into a potentially implosive uncontrollable race, a range of geopolitical clashes and geostrategic repositioning that can evolve unfavourably for the well-being of the cohabiting communities.The Caucasus ethnic disputes led to military clashes with the Russian Armed Forces for more than two centuries and rooted some anti-Russian sentiments for generations. Ethnic fragmentation, division and resettlement carried out in the Caucasus by the Soviet leadership sought to create a buffer zone, characterized by constant instability and a zone where policies contrary to the Kremlin’s vision could not be implemented.Regaining the influence lost by Turkey, consolidating Iran’s fragile position in the region, Russia’s desire to reconquer, along with the expansion of China’s economic projection, hinders European and transatlantic efforts for a democratic development of the region, that could be beneficial for the citizen of Caucasus.
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This paper seeks to carry out a process of reflection on the current war in Ukraine, from the perspective of its informational component, both from the Russian and Ukrainian point of view. For this purpose, the present article is organized as follows: a brief introduction on the evolution of media presentation of armed conflicts; some aspects regarding Russia’s doctrine on information warfare/confrontation; the use of social media as weapons in informational confrontations; a case study on the use of Twitter social network in Russian disinformation campaigns and another one on the Ukrainian strategic communications, its effects on Ukrainian people morale and on the international community engagement for the Ukrainian cause; final remarks, key ideas and arguments on the information warfare between Russia and Ukraine.
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