National and cross-border security as legal categories: theoretical and legal analysis

The article examines the concepts of “national security” and “cross-border security” as legal categories in the context of global security transformation. The relevance is determined by Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, which fundamentally changed European security architecture and necessitated rethinking theoretical foundations of ensuring national and regional stability. Cross-border security is defined as an independent legal category occupying an intermediate position between national and regional security levels. Its complex nature is substantiated, encompassing political, scientific-technological, environmental, humanitarian, and demographic components. A distinction between “cross-border security” and “security of cross-border cooperation” is proposed, proving that ensuring cross-border security is a prerequisite for intensifying economic, social and cultural ties between border regions of neighboring states.