Fighting crime as a life strategy (touches to the portrait of the Academician)

April 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Soviet and Russian lawyer, criminologist, Academician, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Niko-laevich Kudryavtsev. The article, based on the scientific heritage of V.N. Kudryavtsev, reveals topical issues of combating crime: starting with general philosophical ideas about criminal behavior and end-ing with specific aspects of the preliminary investigation and trial. Special attention is paid to the state-legal ideology, its necessity in a democratic state governed by the rule of law. The issues of criminal policy, crime prevention, and the use of punishment are considered. The absolutization of the ac-cused’s admission of guilt and the accusatory bias in the administration of justice are criticized.