The article is devoted to the understanding of the legal status of prisoners of war. In order to establish the legal status of prisoners of war, the author analyzes and argues that captivity is a phenomenon which is accompanied by restrictions on the freedom of persons who fall (claim) to have the legal status of prisoners of war and were involved in an armed conflict, with the aim of preventing their participation in hostilities in the future. The author clarifies the role of participants in an international armed conflict, which in international humanitarian law are divided into military and civilian combatants and non-combatants. Only combatants, i.e., those persons involved in an interstate conflict, can become prisoners of war. The main difference between a non-combatant and a combatant is that the above-mentioned persons have personal weapons, but can use them only for self-defense. If they participate in hostilities, they acquire the status of combatants.

The legal status of a person is a system of rights, freedoms, obligations, and responsibilities enshrined in legal acts and guaranteed by the state, according to which an individual, as a subject of law (i.e., as one with legal personality), coordinates his or her behavior in society. The legal status of: a) citizens of Ukraine; b) foreigners; c) stateless persons; d) persons granted asylum. According to the nature of legal regulation, the legal status is a) general; b) sectoral (individual), c) special. The legal status of prisoners of war applies only to those persons who have not violated the rules and customs of war and are not subject to prosecution under the criminal law of Ukraine. In general, the legal status is formed by combining subjective rights, legitimate interests and legal obligations. The constituent elements of the legal status of prisoners of war are rights, obligations and prohibitions.

Prisoners of war are special subjects of law, as they are under international legal protection and endowed with a special legal status regulated by both national legislation and regulations of international humanitarian law.

Key words: war, prisoners of war, captivity, legal status of a person, international conflict, rights, obligations, prohibitions, foreigners, combatants, non-combatants.

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