Meaning and Place of Arraignment in Russian Criminal Proceedings

Despite the fact that today the Russian legislators has refused to define the legal concept of arraignment, this category is identified in the doctrine and has in fact been retained in criminal proceedings, albeit in a modified form. However, arraignment plays a special role as an intermediate link between the preliminary investigation and court proceedings, and their differences determine its transitional nature and complexity of creating a proper framework. In addition, on the one hand, arraignment provides an important guarantee for the accused in a criminal case, i.e. a guarantee that they will not be a defendant in court proceedings, which are generally open, without sufficient grounds for doing so and, on the other hand, it is directly related to respecting the rights of the victim and implementation of the public interest in criminal proceedings with an opportunity to solve individual issues related to evidence in a criminal case. Due to complexity of legal regulation of arraignment relations, approaches to their regulation have repeatedly changed; whereas the doctrine still discusses the key issues of the role, objectives, and the model of arraignment in Russian criminal proceedings. This paper analyzes arraignment in Russian criminal proceedings in relation to preliminary investigation and court proceedings, highlights the objectives and key elements of arraignment, and concludes that its role and meaning are predetermined by ensuring successful court proceedings, protecting an individual and preventing initiating of court proceedings in relation to the accused.