Scientific Journal of KubSAU

Relevance of the chosen topic is caused by existence of disputable issues in the practice of application of norms regulating institute of necessary defense in the Russian criminal legislation. In the present article the analysis of the current state of this institute of criminal law and a brief overview of the judicial practice of its application is made. Process of formation and development of institute of necessary defense in ancient foreign and Russian sources of law and sacred books is considered. The questions of limits of legitimacy of necessary defense and consequences of their excess are raised. The authors of the article have paid special attention to the analysis of conditions of legitimacy of necessary defense. Such conditions are traditionally divided into three groups: the conditions relating to protection; the conditions relating to encroachment; the conditions relating to the harm. The different points of view concerning improvement of system of conditions of legitimacy of necessary defense are considered. The authors give examples from modern court practice which allowed revealing obvious gaps of the criminal law in this sphere. They also formulated the proposals for improving the legislation. The authors consider important extension of the list of factors, which, together with the unexpectedness of encroachment, can be the basis for recognition of actions of the defending person legitimate