Comparative Analysis of the Investigation of Pillage in the Criminal Legislation of Ukraine and Foreign Countries

The article clarifies the essence of pillage according to Ukrainian and international legislation, defines the composition of these crimes, highlights the list of circumstances that must be proven, and forms additional ones in the investigation of pillage in Ukraine. It is established that the war led to an increase in the number of cases of looting, but since 2014, no person has been convicted under Article 432 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Fixing these crimes is complicated in the occupied territories. There are difficulties with qualification, investigators do not have a sufficient experience in investigating criminal offenses of this specific nature, and there is no clear forensic methodology for investigating such crimes. This emphasizes the relevance of the research. The purpose of this article is to study the problems of investigating looting in the criminal legislation of Ukraine and foreign countries. The article uses a set of scientific methods for a comprehensive study of this issue, in particular, general scientific and special ones, which are means of the scientific research. The dialectical method is used within the scope of studying the theory and practice of contradictions related to the subject of the research. Taking into account the criminal-legal and forensic specifics of the crime, the forecasting method is used to formulate proposals for the selection of circumstances to be proven during the investigation of looting in criminal proceedings. The comparative legal method is used during the comparison of concepts and scientific research, scholars’ points of view regarding the understanding of the essence of looting. The scientific research of Ukrainian and foreign scientists is analyzed, whose views highlighted the issue of pillage and its types, legislation and international treaties. The practical value lies in the fact that the study contributes to the understanding and improvement of the procedure of investigation of looting, indicating which circumstances can be of significant importance for establishing and proving the guilt of a person and the administration of justice.