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LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Cyber Warfare in Ukraine and Beyond – Jus in Bello and Its Application to Wartime Cyber Operations

Bylon, Demi LU (2022) JURM02 20222
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Internationell humanitär rätt, även kallad jus in bello, utgör de lagar som
reglerar parters uppförande under en väpnad konflikt. Under de senaste
decennierna har framväxten av cyberrymden som en domän för krigföring
gett upphov till diskussioner om tillämpningen av internationell humanitär
rätt vid krigstida cyberoperationer. Folkrättens tillämplighet i cyberrymden
har konsekvent blivit bekräftad – jus in bello är däremot fortsatt föremål för
debatt.

Det rysk-ukrainska kriget illustrerar det senaste exemplet på användningen av
ett brett spektrum av metoder av krigföring, inkluderat såväl konventionell,
kinetisk krigföring som cyberkrigföring. Effekterna av dessa krigstida
cyberoperationer på samhällsfunktioner av vikt för den... (More)
Internationell humanitär rätt, även kallad jus in bello, utgör de lagar som
reglerar parters uppförande under en väpnad konflikt. Under de senaste
decennierna har framväxten av cyberrymden som en domän för krigföring
gett upphov till diskussioner om tillämpningen av internationell humanitär
rätt vid krigstida cyberoperationer. Folkrättens tillämplighet i cyberrymden
har konsekvent blivit bekräftad – jus in bello är däremot fortsatt föremål för
debatt.

Det rysk-ukrainska kriget illustrerar det senaste exemplet på användningen av
ett brett spektrum av metoder av krigföring, inkluderat såväl konventionell,
kinetisk krigföring som cyberkrigföring. Effekterna av dessa krigstida
cyberoperationer på samhällsfunktioner av vikt för den civila befolkningen
har varit betydande.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka användningen av cyberoperationer i
internationella väpnade konflikter och tillämpningen av jus in bello. Genom
att analysera det nuvarande rättsliga landskapet av internationell humanitär
rätt i ljuset av cyberelementen i det rysk-ukrainska kriget, förser uppsatsen en
kritisk analys av rättsläget och föreslår möjliga vägar framåt. Utredningen tar
i beaktning att tillämpningen av internationell rätt i cyberrymden, och
tillämpningen av internationell humanitär rätt i synnerhet, i hög grad påverkas
av staters politiska agendor.

Resultaten visar att den nuvarande tillämpningen av internationell humanitär
rätt, som beskrivs i vägledande instrument som Tallinn Manual 2.0, inte
omfattar cyberkrigföringens komplexitet. Författaren efterlyser ytterligare
ansträngningar för att genomdriva syftet med jus in bello i cyberdomänen på
ett mer ändamålsenligt sätt. Det föreslås att de centrala principerna och
bestämmelserna i den internationella humanitära rätten bör diskuteras stater
emellan i multilaterala forum och att nationella positioner bör offentliggöras
för att möjliggöra utformningen av en allmän inriktning. (Less)
Abstract
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also referred to as jus in bello, constitutes the laws regulating the conduct of parties engaged in an armed conflict. Over the past few decades, the emergence of cyberspace as a domain of war has given rise to discussions on the application of IHL to wartime cyber operations. Despite the consistent reiteration of the application of international law to cyberspace, the jus in bello framework remains a subject of debate.

The Russo-Ukrainian war illustrates the latest example of the deployment of different means of warfare, including conventional, kinetic warfare as well as acts of cyber warfare. The impact of these wartime cyber operations on societal functions vital to civilians has been... (More)
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also referred to as jus in bello, constitutes the laws regulating the conduct of parties engaged in an armed conflict. Over the past few decades, the emergence of cyberspace as a domain of war has given rise to discussions on the application of IHL to wartime cyber operations. Despite the consistent reiteration of the application of international law to cyberspace, the jus in bello framework remains a subject of debate.

The Russo-Ukrainian war illustrates the latest example of the deployment of different means of warfare, including conventional, kinetic warfare as well as acts of cyber warfare. The impact of these wartime cyber operations on societal functions vital to civilians has been significant.

This thesis sets out to examine the use of cyber operations in international armed conflicts and the application of the jus in bello regime. By analysing the current legal landscape of IHL through the lens of the cyber elements in the Russo-Ukrainian war, this thesis provides a critical analysis of lex lata, i.e. the law as it is, and suggest possible ways forward. The research takes into consideration that the application of international law in cyberspace, and the application of IHL in particular, is heavily affected by States’ political objectives in the current geopolitical context.

The findings show that the current application of IHL, as outlined in guiding instruments such as the Tallinn Manual 2.0, does not encompass the complexities of cyber warfare. The author calls for further efforts to enforce the objective of the jus in bello regime in the cyber domain. Moving forward, it is suggested that the core principles and provisions of IHL should be discussed amongst Sates in multilateral fora and that national positions should be shared in order to form a general approach. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Bylon, Demi LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20222
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Public international law, Jus in Bello, International Humanitarian Law, Wartime Cyber Operations, Cyber Warfare, Russia, Ukraine, Cyber, Folkrätt
language
English
id
9105377
date added to LUP
2023-01-30 10:38:11
date last changed
2023-01-30 10:38:11
@misc{9105377,
  abstract     = {{International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also referred to as jus in bello, constitutes the laws regulating the conduct of parties engaged in an armed conflict. Over the past few decades, the emergence of cyberspace as a domain of war has given rise to discussions on the application of IHL to wartime cyber operations. Despite the consistent reiteration of the application of international law to cyberspace, the jus in bello framework remains a subject of debate.

The Russo-Ukrainian war illustrates the latest example of the deployment of different means of warfare, including conventional, kinetic warfare as well as acts of cyber warfare. The impact of these wartime cyber operations on societal functions vital to civilians has been significant.

This thesis sets out to examine the use of cyber operations in international armed conflicts and the application of the jus in bello regime. By analysing the current legal landscape of IHL through the lens of the cyber elements in the Russo-Ukrainian war, this thesis provides a critical analysis of lex lata, i.e. the law as it is, and suggest possible ways forward. The research takes into consideration that the application of international law in cyberspace, and the application of IHL in particular, is heavily affected by States’ political objectives in the current geopolitical context.

The findings show that the current application of IHL, as outlined in guiding instruments such as the Tallinn Manual 2.0, does not encompass the complexities of cyber warfare. The author calls for further efforts to enforce the objective of the jus in bello regime in the cyber domain. Moving forward, it is suggested that the core principles and provisions of IHL should be discussed amongst Sates in multilateral fora and that national positions should be shared in order to form a general approach.}},
  author       = {{Bylon, Demi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Cyber Warfare in Ukraine and Beyond – Jus in Bello and Its Application to Wartime Cyber Operations}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}