The 21st century is the time of polycrisis, characterised by its temporal and spatial boundaries and cascading effects (Covid-19 pandemics, climate change, the war in Ukraine, mass migration caused by the war in Ukraine and other armed conflicts).
Moreover, European societies are almost universally in crisis mode, which is linked to an accelerating process of transformation and further threats from the Russian Federation which changes the priorities of the police forces and limits them in resources.
It is no secret that European states, accustomed to stable, peaceful coexistence within the framework of beneficial economic cooperation and the free movement of goods and people within the European Union, were unprepared for many of the challenges associated with the war in Ukraine.
Having adapted to the large number of refugees from Ukraine, European states have nevertheless been unable to adapt to the changing nature and rates of crime caused by global and regional crises.
More importantly, however, most European states are unprepared to combat crime in the context of a possible state of war.
Therefore, it can be said that Ukraine’s experience is invaluable not only in countering Russia’s imperial ambitions on the diplomatic and military fronts, but also in ensuring the sustainable and uninterrupted development of the justice system, including the police, criminal courts and prisons.
Therefore, I am pleased to present this monograph to the scientific and expert community, prepared at the Endowed Professorship for Crime Prevention and Risk Management at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, focused on the problems of the evolution of crime during full-scale war in modern Europe, which focuses both on crime indicators and on the impact of war on elements of the criminal justice system.
Despite the variety of scientific works devoted to the impact of war on crime both in Ukraine and in the countries of the European Union, there has been a lack of a comprehensive approach to the analysis of these issues until now.
In fact, such a comprehensive approach was implemented by the team of experts, who formed a systematic critical view of how modern war affects a modern European country.
I am convinced that this monograph will be of interest and use to European politicians, senior police officers and academics for a forward-looking analysis of the threats that can be expected as a result of the further escalation of Russian imperialist ambitions.
September 2025
Prof. Dr. Rita Haverkamp
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
