Pre- and post revolutionary doctrine and practice relating to the legal regimes of territorial waters, internal sea waters, closed seas, the continental shelf, the deep seabed and the high seas.

Originally published in Russian, this book is the first major Russian treatise on the international law of the sea in the post-Soviet era. The book covers the legal status and legal regime of the sea expanses and follows their classification in the 1982 United Nations Convention. In addition, a separate section is devoted to the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The author analyzes in-depth the international legal norms regulating the preservation of the marine environment and concludes that a system of international cooperation is essential both in the sphere of navigation and economic exploitation of oceanic resources. Extensive attention is given to Russian practice. As Russia plays a central and influential role in world maritime policy, a book that specifically deals with Russian approaches in this field cannot fail to be of importance to anyone interested in the law of the sea.