The Combatant Status of the 'Little Green Men' and Other Participants in the Ukraine Conflict

Abstract

As an occupation and a civil war are simultaneously taking place in Ukraine a particularly vexing international law question is presented: what is the legal status of those involved in the hostilities? This article is designed to answer that question and to identify the associated rights, duties and responsibilities of the participants in the conflict.

Keywords: Law of Armed Conflict, International Humanitarian Law, combatants, armed conflict, Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, conflict classification, little green men, Ukrainian civil war, occupation, occupation law, civilians, separatists, militias, participants, fighters, unlawful combatants

JEL Classification: K10, K33