“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 37 (2026), pages 893–901.
DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2026-37-893-901
Feshchenko Oleh
Information and psychological violence in criminal law Introduction
ISSN online: 2617-9776 print: 0869-2491
Introduction. Modern information technologies exert a significant influence on social relations, and unfortunately, not always a positive one. In the era of digital transformation, there is a tendency to move away from direct physical violence in favor of informational and remote forms of influence on individuals. The consequences of applying methods of information-psychological influence can be observed in numerous cases of suicides among participants of so-called “death groups” on social networks, the transfer of money to fraudsters, and other socially dangerous situations. The use of methods of destructive psychological influence and information technologies causes harm to the individual and destroys their psyche. This type of criminal activity is constantly evolving and adapting to new information technologies; therefore, combating it requires continuous development and improvement of methods and technologies, as well as, first and foremost, their consolidation in the norms of criminal law. Computer technologies, particularly communication technologies, are becoming tools for committing crimes without physical contact, through psychological violence, which leads to a large number of victims.
The purpose of the article is to installation the criminal-law aspects of information-psychological violence against the individual, to identify its characteristics, as well as to compare the legislation of foreign countries and Ukraine in order to improve legal methods of combating it.
Conclusion. A significant part of our lives has moved into the online space. Therefore, it is natural that new types of crimes committed in cyberspace are emerging. The use of digital technologies and digital transformation has led to the emergence of new forms of socially dangerous acts in which information-psychological violence plays a key role. Modern information and communication technologies have created conditions for remote influence on the human psyche for the purpose of persecution, aggression, threats, blackmail, or insults, which has significantly expanded the possibilities for committing crimes without physical contact. Despite the fact that online violence is virtual in nature, it can cause very real harm to victims.
Scientific approaches to defining information-psychological violence demonstrate its multidimensional nature, encompassing a wide range of manifestations — from cyberbullying and mobbing to online harassment and the use of harmful information for the purpose of manipulation, humiliation, or control over an individual. At the stage of legal qualification of such acts, numerous questions arise, as social relations change faster than legislation.
Despite the social danger of such acts, the current criminal legislation of Ukraine does not contain an adequate normative framework for defining information-psychological violence as the objective element of a crime. Existing articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine only partially cover certain forms of cyber violence, leaving a significant number of socially dangerous acts outside legal regulation, including virtual stalking. Comparative analysis shows that the legislation of a number of foreign states already recognizes such actions as crimes, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the national legal framework.
Therefore, it is necessary to update the criminal legislation of Ukraine by enshrining the concept of information-psychological violence, defining its subjective and objective elements, and expanding criminal-law protection of individuals against new forms of cybercrime.
Keywords: information-psychological violence; cyberviolence; cyberbullying; mobbing; crimes; communication technologies.
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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 18.01.2026
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 03.03.2026
Дата публікації: 24.03.2026