RUSSIAN CRIMINAL PROCEDURE: IN SEARCH OF CIVILIZATIONAL IDENTITY

Abstract

The concept of “civilization” reflecting the value and normative ideals of social order, came to be understood predominantly in the 20^th century in relation to the notion of local civilizations, just as the concept of identity was understood solely in a national key. However, such an approach must be recognized as limited, as it fails to encompass the universal characteristics and values that define the place of each local tradition in the overall historical development of humanity. The article examines the problem of identifying the civilizational identity of Russian criminal procedure through the prism of a philosophical and legal approach to understanding the concept of civilization. The author posits that civilizational identity includes a transcendent dimension connected with notions of good, justice, and the spiritual foundations of the rule of law. The purpose of the study is to comprehend the evolution of Russian criminal proceedings as an indicator of the country’s civilizational affiliation. The research employs a combination of philosophical-legal and comparative-historical methods. The former is used to identify the value foundations of criminal law and procedure as a reflection of civilizational worldview, while the latter analyzes the genetic and cultural parallels between the Russian and Western European models of justice. The research results indicate that since the establishment of its statehood, Russia has developed within the framework of European civilization, adopting its legal and cultural models. Criminal justice, as one of the most illustrative expressions of civilizational identity, demonstrates a constant oscillation between local historical and national features and European justice ideals. The article concludes that Russian criminal procedure should be viewed not as an isolated national phenomenon, but as part of a broad civilizational tradition that shapes the spiritual and moral foundations of law.