Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, they have been committing ecocide in Ukraine, destroying ecosystems, exterminating rare animal species, and terrorizing the world through the sabotage of the Kakhovka Hydro Power Plant and the blackmail regarding the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Currently, international law has significant gaps concerning environmental crimes during times of war. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court does not include the crime of “ecocide,” and the definition of crimes related to the environment during war is extremely limited.
We believe that russian aggression poses global challenges to the world. The response to these challenges should lead to meaningful changes rather than mere simulations.
UAnimals has sent an official appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling for the establishment of a special international tribunal to address russia’s ecological crimes during the war in Ukraine. Necessary legal mechanisms should be developed at the international level to have an impact rather than providing impunity. One option to address this request could be the consideration of russia’s environmental crimes within a separate tribunal.
We express our gratitude to the Miller Law Firm for preparing the appeal to the UN.
