Podstawowe zagadnienia instytucji kary śmierci w świetle prawa i praktyki wymiaru sprawiedliwości w dziejach Rosji

The article describes legal regulations concerning death penalty in Russia from 1398 to 2008. The analysis shows that the death penalty was commonly present in Russian legal acts. The article describes the evolution of the range of death penalty. It was used not only against crimes like homicide, but also against political crimes. It was an instrument in political fight and in repressive criminal policy. The article shows also the means of execution of capital punishment. Throughout the ages it was executed in a very brutal way, to make it painful for the executed person. The death penalty in Russia should not be analyzed only in historical perspective, because it still exists in present criminal code of Russian Federation.