Armed conflict has been the standard way for centuries to resolve disputes between states, or rather disputes between the elites of states pursuing their own interests and goals. By 1914, the international community had largely decided on the rules of war and war crimes. But the decisions taken could not be called full-fledged laws, and there were no international courts in which such crimes could be considered. The Second World War gave impetus to a new legal debate, making questions about war crimes relevant again. And every country, including the USSR, between 1939 and 1945 officially demanded punishment for those who committed war crimes. This is discussed in a collection prepared as a result of a round table dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal.< /p>