On the question of the state succession legality

Abstract

On December 10, 2019, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation issued Decision № 39-P, and in his opinion, judge Aranovskii described the USSR as an “illegitimately established state” and called for Russia not to be considered the legal successor of the USSR. Thus, judge Aranovskii touched upon the sphere of State succession, the regulation of which is related to international law and not to constitutional law. In particular, Aranovskii raised such problems as the legality of succession. Relevant provisions on legality are also included in existing international treaties on the succession of states, such as the 1978 Vienna Convention on the succession of states in respect to treaties and the 1983 Vienna Convention on the succession of states in respect to state property, state archives, and public debts, as well as Articles on the nationality of natural persons in relation to the succession of states. The issue of the legality of state succession was also highlighted in the second report on the issue of state succession in respect of responsibility for internationally wrongful acts by the International Law Commission Special Rapporteur Pavel Šturma. Research on this issue is important because the provisions on Russia as the legal successor to the USSR were proposed as one of the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which will be approved by the Russian people in an all-Russian vote. In order to make a legal assessment of the legality of state succession, it is important to analyse the history of the relevant provisions in existing international treaties, as well as to analyse the relevant international legal practice on this issue. This research will assess the reasonableness of both the opinion of judge Aranovskii and the corresponding amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.