Digital technologies and evidence in the investigation of crimes against the fundamentals of national security of Ukraine: procedural problems and european standards

The article advances a system-integrated procedural and legal model for the use of digital technologies and evidence in criminal proceedings concerning offences against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security. It shows that the lack of an autonomous definition of “digital evidence” in the Cri...

Celý popis

Uloženo v:
Podrobná bibliografie
Vydáno v:Аналітично-порівняльне правознавство Ročník 3; číslo 5; s. 239 - 255
Hlavní autor: Pohoretskyi, M. A.
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: 05.11.2025
ISSN:2788-6018, 2788-6018
On-line přístup:Získat plný text
Tagy: Přidat tag
Žádné tagy, Buďte první, kdo vytvoří štítek k tomuto záznamu!
Popis
Shrnutí:The article advances a system-integrated procedural and legal model for the use of digital technologies and evidence in criminal proceedings concerning offences against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security. It shows that the lack of an autonomous definition of “digital evidence” in the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), the underdevelopment of procedures for collection, authentication and preservation, as well as shortages of certified tools and trained personnel, generate legal uncertainty and risks of inadmissibility. Against the backdrop of international standards of the ECtHR (notably Benedik v. Slovenia, Uzun v. Germany) and the CJEU’s approach in Case C-670/22 (EncroChat), the article substantiates: (1) a unified admissibility test for electronic evidence–“provenance – disclosure – reproducibility”–and its operationalisation through a judicial benchbook with model reasoning; (2) a procedure for open-source digital forensics (OSINT-forensics) with requirements for capture, chain of custody, and audit trail; (3) an algorithm for judicial verification of coordinates (double projection; cross-validation with telecom logs/official statements; access logging) to verify geodata and cartographic materials. It proposes statutory incorporation of minimum standards for the procedural circulation of digital evidence in the CPC (including rules for inspecting web resources and handling data from cloud services/mobile apps), sub-statutory interagency digital-forensics instructions, and institutional mechanisms (accredited laboratories; a register of validated methods). It is demonstrated that systemic implementation of these measures enhances the probative reliability of digital materials, ensures compatibility with the “internal equivalence” principle in the cross-border circulation of electronic evidence, and strengthens guarantees of a fair trial.
ISSN:2788-6018
2788-6018
DOI:10.24144/2788-6018.2025.05.3.37