“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 37 (2026), pages 826–834.

DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2026-37-826-834

Kysil Maksym
Subject of financing criminal-illegal activities: current problems of qualification and application of measures of a criminal-legal nature

ISSN online: 2617-9776 print: 0869-2491

Introduction. Financing is a key factor in the existence of organized crime and activities directed against national security. The Criminal Code of Ukraine contains several norms (Articles 1102, 1591, 176, 2585, 260, 447) that establish liability for financing illegal activities. However, the lack of a unified approach to defining the subject of these crimes creates collisions in qualification and complicates the application of sanctions to legal entities.

The aim of the article. The purpose of the study is a systemic criminal-legal analysis of the signs of the subject of crimes related to the financing of illegal activities, in order to identify shortcomings in legislative technique and develop proposals for the unification of grounds for physical liability and the application of measures of a criminal-legal nature to legal entities.

Results. The comprehensive analysis of the Criminal Code of Ukraine reveals that in the corpus delicti of crimes related to financing (Articles 1102, 1591, 176, 2585, 260, 447), the legislator primarily employs the construction of a general subject. A significant legislative inconsistency regarding the age of criminal liability was identified: while the commission of a terrorist act (Art. 258) or the creation of paramilitary groups (Art. 260) is punishable from the age of 14, financing these activities entails liability only from the age of 16. It is argued that in the digital era, minors are capable of fully understanding the social danger of financial support for violence.

The study characterizes the special subject of these crimes, particularly oficials who use their oficial position to facilitate financing (Art. 1102, 2585). It is emphasized that the status of an oficial serves as a qualifying sign that significantly increases the public danger of the act, as it involves the use of administrative resources. Distinctions were drawn between the liability of public oficials and special subjects in the election process (managers of election funds under Art. 1591).

Furthermore, the research establishes the correlation between the physical subject of the crime and the liability of legal entities. It is proven that the application of measures of a criminal-legal nature (Art. 963 of the Criminal Code) is derivative and depends on proving that the physical subject acted as an «authorized person» on behalf of and in the interests of the legal entity. The article substantiates that the intent of the physical subject is the key factor linking the financial transaction to the corporate structure.

Conclusions. Based on the analysis, it is proposed to amend Part 2 of Art. 22 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine to reduce the age of criminal liability for financing terrorism to 14 years. It is emphasized that the subjective side of the crime (specific purpose and awareness of the criminal nature of the recipient’s activity) is a decisive criterion for recognizing a person as a subject of financing.

Keywords: financing of criminal-illegal activities, subject of a criminal offense, special subject, financing of terrorism, measures of a criminal-legal nature, age of criminal liability, qualification of criminal offences.

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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 17.12.2025
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 03.03.2026
Дата публікації: 24.03.2026