Crimes against military service in the pre-revolutionary Russian legislation: historical-legal analysis

Objective: to analyze the changes in system of crimes against military service in pre-revolutionary criminal legislation and to define the potential to reform the modern system of these crimes.Methods: dialectical, systemic, historical-legal, formal-juridical.Results: the analysis of pre-revolutionary criminal legislation is made, the stages of development of the system of crimes against military service are defined, which reflect changes in the system. The crimes in the system at each stage are identified, as well as those, which reflected the essence of the system and, therefore, can potentially be included in the modern system of crimes against military service. The evolution of the system is shown: the development of its existing elements; the introduction of new offences; the extension of the system due to this reason; the appearance of two systems of crimes: for the army and the Navy. The features of the object and subject of crime and their synthesis are considered. Scientific novelty: the article suggests the criteria for systematization of crimes against military service, and, basing on them, identifies the stages in the development of this system.Practical significance: the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in research and teaching when considering the issues of the system of crimes against military service and the stages of its development.