Almanac of law. Issue 17 (2026), pages 359–366.

DOI: 10.33663/2524-017X-2026-17-359-366

Malinevsky O. M.
Aristotle’s Concept of Corrective Justice in the Context of Civil Liability of Accomplices in Russian Aggression

The article analyses the theoretical and practical aspects of tort liability of co-perpetrators of damage caused during Russian military aggression through the prism of Aristotle’s concept of corrective justice. It substantiates the need to expand the circle of persons liable for military damage to include entities separate from the aggressor state (enterprises that contributed financially, industrially or politically to the aggression). The development of the idea of tort liability of such accomplices to war is linked to a rethinking of the nature of achieving justice, an emphasis on the compensatory function of tort law, and a shift of the burden of compensation from innocent victims to the co-perpetrators of the damage, whose conscious and self-serving actions made it possible to cause this damage and led to material or immaterial gains for the co-perpetrator. It is emphasised that even if these persons (e. g., commercial structures related to the war) bear the burden of primary compensation, they still have the right to a recourse claim against the main aggressor, which is consistent with Aristotle’s principle of justice that no one should suffer losses from the actions of others. The provisions of Ukrainian substantive law (Articles 1166, 1190, 1191 of the Civil Code of Ukraine) and doctrinal approaches are cited, which confirm the joint and several liability of co-contributors to damage and ensure the operation of the compensation mechanism of restorative justice. Examples are given of the benefits that have encouraged business structures to engage in activities causing war damage, and the prospects for holding them accountable as an effective alternative way of ensuring that victims have access to justice and adequate compensation for damages are outlined. The article raises the question of the advisability of introducing no-fault liability for war damage and the compatibility of such an approach with Aristotle’s doctrine of restorative justice. It concludes that the application of Aristotle’s approach to justice in the context of modern warfare will contribute to the establishment of justice and the rule of law. Otherwise, if those who contributed to the damage are not held accountable, a situation of injustice will arise, where the actual responsibility for such damage will be placed on the victim, who is forced to bear the entire burden of the adverse property consequences.

Keywords: tort liability, accomplices to aggression, joint and several liability, restorative justice, compensation, war, damages.

 References

1. Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, tr David Ross, rev with introd and notes by Lesley Brown (Oxford University Press 2009). P. 86–88.
2. Izhak Englard, Corrective and Distributive Justice: From Aristotle to Modern Times (Oxford University Press 2009), P. 191.
3. Tsyvilne pravo Osoblyva chastyna: Pidruchnyk za redaktsiieiu O. V. Dzery, N. S. Kuznietsovoi, R. A. Maidannyka. Kyiv: Yurinkom Inter, 2018. S. 981 (in Ukr.).
4. Corporate Aiding and Abetting of Human Rights Violations: Confusion in the Courts/ Doug Cassel/ Northwestern University School of Law Volume 6, Issue 2 (Spring 2008) Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights, P. 308 (303–326).
5. Schulzke and Carroll (n 5) On the incoherence of strict liability rules from a corrective justice perspective see: Weinrib, The Idea of Private Law (n 11), P. 179–180.
6. Marta Infantino and Eleni Zervogianny, “Causation in European Tort Law” (Cambridge University Press 2019), P. 648, 651.
7. Pryntsypy yevropeiskoho deliktnoho prava. Ievropeiska hrupa z deliktnoho prava. URL: http://www.egtl.org/PETLEnglish.html  (in Ukr.).
8. Haim Abraham, Tort Liability for Belligerent Wrongs. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Volume 39, Issue 4, Winter 2019, P. 6.

Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 06.03.2026
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 09.04.2026
Дата публікації: 30.04.2026