Protection of subjective civil rights has been in the focus of close attention of civilists for several decades. At the same time, the emphasis of the doctrinal justification gets a unique expression in view of the nature of private law policy, which is manifested in the fundamental act of civil law. The adoption of the Civil Code of Ukraine (Ukraine’s CC) in 2003 as the constitution of private law for a future civil society with an advanced market economy entailed a significant intensification of scientific research in the relevant domain. The provisions of current Ukraine’s CC, which largely formed the modern institute of subjective civil rights protection, have become a key factor in the development of the national civil doctrine in the post-Soviet period. The purpose of the article is to analyze and identify the general vector of development of the private law doctrine in the domain of protection of subjective civil rights, with due regard for the changes which occurred in the legal regulation of the institute of subjective civil rights protection upon adoption of the current Ukraine’s CC and the reform of the Ukrainian procedural legislation within the framework of the judicial reform. The article highlights the need to distinguish between the right to protection and the protection of rights as real actions directly aimed at protecting an infringed right. The author comes to the conclusion that the category of protection of rights should be reviewed, especially in the system of the mechanism of civil rights implementation. In this connection, the stage at which a right is protected is recognized as an optional stage of the mechanism of subjective civil right implementation, and it is split off from other stages, since it has the characteristic features which exclude its integration with the stage at which the subjective right is formed, as well as implemented. The author demonstrates the correlation between protection of rights and other civilistic categories, such as safeguarding of rights, interest protected by law and liability under civil law. Within the framework of studying the institute of protection of rights, the legal phenomenon of abuse of rights is analyzed. The author suggests an approach to legal consequences of qualification of the protection remedy as a general or special one in the context of law application practice. Efficient protection of subjective civil rights is recognized as the general vector of development of the private law doctrine in the domain of subjective civil rights protection at the current stage. It is established that relevant changes pierce through the entire institution of protection of rights, from its doctrinal interpretation and interaction with other related institutions, to the implications of the doctrine for the generation of new legislative approaches and the relevant judicial practice, since the prevailing task of the court procedure under the new procedural legislation is to assure efficient protection of rights of a person who seeks legal redress.

List of legal documents 

Legislation 
1. Hospodarskyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [The Code of Economic Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] v redaktsii vid 3 zhovtnia 2017 r. № 2147-VIII (accessed: 23.11.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
2. Tsyvilnyi kodeks Ukrainy [The Civil Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 16 sichnia 2003 r. № 435-IV (accessed: 23.11.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
3. Tsyvilnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [The Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] v redaktsii vid 3 zhovtnia 2017 r. № 2147-VIII (accessed: 23.11.2018) (in Ukrainian). 

Cases 
4. Rishennia Verkhovnoho Sudu Ukrainy [The decision of the Supreme Court of Ukraine] vid 23 hrudnia 2009 r. u spravi № 6-23541sv07 (accessed: 23.11.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
5. Ukhvala Verkhovnoho Sudu Ukrainy [Resolution of the Supreme Court of Ukraine] vid 20 zhovtnia 2010 r. u spravi № 6-21843sv09. (accessed: 23.11.2018) (in Ukrainian). 

Bibliography 

Authored books 
6. Gribanov V, Osushhestvlenie i zashhita grazhdanskih prav [Exercise and Protection of Civil Rights] (Statut 2000) (in Russian). 
7. Kharytonov Ye i Saniakhmetova N, Tsyvilne pravo Ukrainy: pidruchnyk [Civil Law of Ukraine: Textbook] (Istyna 2003) (in Ukrainian). 
8. Pohribnyi S, Mekhanizm ta pryntsypy rehuliuvannia dohovirnykh vidnosyn u tsyvilnomu pravi Ukrainy: monohrafiia [Mechanism and Principles of Contractual Relations Regulation in Civil Law of Ukraine: Monograph] (Pravova yednist 2009) (in Ukrainian). 
9. Pokrovskij I, Osnovnye problemy grazhdanskogo prava [Topical Issues of Civil Law] (Statut 1998) (in Russian). 
10. Porotikova O, Problema zloupotreblenija sub»ektivnym grazhdanskim pravom [The Issue of Subjective Civil Right Abuse] (Volters Kluver 2008) (in Russian). 
11. Vavilin E, Osushhestvlenie i zashhita grazhdanskih prav [Exercise and Protection of Civil Rights] (Volters Kluver 2009) (in Russian). 

Edited books 
12. Krasheninnikov E, ‘Struktura sub’ektivnogo prava i pravo na zashhitu’ [‘The Structure of Subjective Right and the Right to Protection’] v Problema zashhity sub»ektivnyh prav i sovetskoe grazhdanskoe sudoproizvodstvo [The Issue of Subjective Rights Protection and the Soviet Civil Court Procedure] (1979) 79-80 (in Russian). 
13. Krupchan O ta Luts V (zah red), Osoblyvosti zakhystu sub‘iektyvnykh tsyvilnykh prav: monohrafiia [Special Aspects of Protection of Subjective Civil Rights: Monograph] (NDI pryvatnoho prava i pidpryiemnytstva NAPrN Ukrainy 2012) (in Ukrainian). 
14. Shevchenko Ya (zah red), Tsyvilnyi kodeks Ukrainy: naukovo-praktychnyi komentar [The Civil Code of Ukraine: Scientific and Practical Commentary], ch 1 (In Yure 2004) (in Ukrainian). 
15. – –, (zah red), Okhorona i zakhyst prav ta interesiv fizychnykh ta yurydychnykh osib v tsyvilnykh pravovidnosynakh [Safeguarding and Protection of the Rights and Interests of Individuals and Legal Entities in Relations under Civil Law] (Kharkiv yurydychnyi 2011) (in Ukrainian). 
16. Stojakin G, ‘Ponjatie zashhity grazhdanskih prav’ [‘The Concept of Civil Rights Protection’] v Problemy grazhdansko-pravovoj otvetstvennosti i zashhity grazhdanskih prav [Issues of Civil-Law Liability and Civil Rights Protection] (1973) (in Russian). 
17. Tolstoj Ju i Sergeev A (red), Grazhdanskoe pravo [Civil Law], ch 1 (Prospekt 1996) (in Russian). 

Journal articles 
18. Krupchan O, ‘Metodolohichni zasady pryvatnopravovoi sfery hromadianskoho suspilstva’ [‘Methodological Bases of the Private-Law Domain of Civil Society’] (2009) 8 Pravo Ukrainy (in Ukrainian). 
19. Kuznietsova N, ‘Tsyvilno-pravova vidpovidalnist i zakhyst tsyvilnykh prav’ [‘Liability under Civil Law and Protection of Civil Rights’] (2009) 81 Visnyk Kyivskoho universytetu im. T. Shevchenka. Yurydychni nauky 100-6 (in Ukrainian). 
20. Matsehorin O, ‘Poniattia ta zmist zakhystu tsyvilnykh prav’ [‘The Concept and Content of Civil Rights Protection’] (2011) 3 Chasopys Kyivskoho universytetu prava (in Ukrainian). 
21. Prytyka Yu, ‘Poniattia i dyferentsiatsiia sposobiv zakhystu tsyvilnykh prav ta interesiv’ [‘The Concept and Differentiation of Remedies to Protect Civil Rights and Interests’] (2004) 60-62 Visnyk Kyivskoho universytetu im. T. Shevchenka. Yurydychni nauky 16-7 (in Ukrainian). 
22. Romaniuk Ya ta O Burlai, ‘Pozov pro vyznannia prava vlasnosti, vindykatsiinyi ta nehatornyi pozovy: deiaki problemy praktychnoho zastosuvannia’ [‘Lawsuit for Recognition of Ownership Right, Vindication and Negatory Lawsuits: Some Issues of Practical Application’] (2012) 8 Visnyk Verkhovnoho Sudu Ukrainy (in Ukrainian). 

Dissertations 
23. Dzera I, ‘Tsyvilno-pravovi zasoby zakhystu prava vlasnosti v Ukraini’ [‘Civil-Law Remedies to Protect the Ownership Right in Ukraine’] (dys kand yuryd nauk, Kyivskyi natsionalnyi un-t im Tarasa Shevchenka 2001) (in Ukrainian). 
24. Venediktova I, ‘Zakhyst okhoroniuvanykh interesiv u tsyvilnomu pravi’ [‘Protection of Protected Interests in Civil Law’] (dys d-ra yuryd nauk, Kyivskyi natsionalnyi un-t im Tarasa Shevchenka 2013) (in Ukrainian). 

Thesis abstracts 
25. Krasavchikova L, ‘Grazhdansko-pravovaja ohrana lichnoj zhizni sovetskih grazhdan’ [‘Civil-Law Protection of Private Life of Soviet Citizens’] (avtoref diss kand jurid nauk, Sverdlovskiy yuridicheskiy institut 1979) (in Russian). 

Conference papers 
26. Sulejmenov M, ‘Sub’ektivnoe grazhdanskoe pravo i sredstva ego obespechenija v Respublike Kazahstan’ [‘Subjective Civil Right and Its Safeguards in the Republic of Kazakhstan’] v Sub’ektivnoe grazhdanskoe pravo i sredstva ego obespechenija: materialy Mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii, posvjashhennoj pamjati Ju. G. Basina [Subjective Civil Right and Its Safeguards: Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Conference Dedicated to the Memory of Yu. H. Basin] (NII chastnogo prava KazGJuU 2005) (in Russian).