Review

The article describes the powers of the Security Service of Ukraine in the national system of counter-terrorism regulated by the current legislation, and also examines the main acts which define the legal status of this body, international acts, and provides a substantive analysis of these powers.

The purpose of the article is to analyse the current legal framework which regulates the rights and obligations of the Security Service of Ukraine in the national system of counter-terrorism, taking into account the geopolitical situation in the country and the current challenges associated with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

Methodology. To achieve this goal, the author used general scientific and special legal methods: the general dialectical method of scientific knowledge of phenomena and their relations; formal legal (dogmatic or legal and technical); systemic and structural; comparative law; and the method of generalisation.

The issue of strengthening the institutional capacities of the Security Service of Ukraine in the national counter-terrorism system, including deepening interstate cooperation of competent actors in this area, has become particularly relevant.

After all, in the context of the ongoing large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the constant use of terrorist methods of warfare (including rocket and bomb terror, attempts to completely destroy civilian infrastructure, the use of prohibited types of ammunition against both the Ukrainian Defence Forces and against civilians, etc.), terrorist pressure on other countries of the international community, the Russian Federation’s involvement in the armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian Arabs led by Hamas that broke out on 7 October 2023, and the need to improve the national counter-terrorism system.

The conclusions highlight the acute problems of today that require an immediate response, namely, the recognition of the Russian Federation at the international level as a state sponsor of terrorism, the supplementation of international law with appropriate terminology and the application of international sanctions to the Russian Federation in accordance with the crimes committed.

Keywords: Security Service of Ukraine, terrorism, fight against terrorism, national system of combating terrorism, Russian Federation – state sponsor of terrorism.