HYBRID WARS, MIXED ARMED GROUPS AND THE APPLICATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW

The article analyzes the characteristics of hybrid wars as a new form of armed conflict in the 21st century, combining military, political, economic, cyber, and informational methods of influence. Special attention is given to the role of mixed armed groups that include both regular and irregular components, as well as the issue of their legal status within the framework of international humanitarian law (IHL). The study examines the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the 1977 Additional Protocols, and the practice of international tribunals, including the Tadić case (1995), with respect to the criteria of intensity and organization of a conflict. Particular attention is paid to the applicability of IHL principles to cyber operations in light of the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare (2013). The article emphasizes that the hybrid nature of conflicts does not exempt parties from complying with humanitarian norms.

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