Armed conflicts have consistently entailed severe social, economic, and environmental consequences. In recent years, however, the concept of ecocide has attracted growing attention among scholars and experts in international law as a crime against the environment and natural resources. Ecocide refers to the commission of unlawful or wanton acts carried out with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment as a result of such acts. Despite the seriousness of this grave anti-environmental crime and the necessity of prosecuting its perpetrators, international law currently lacks a specific criminalization of ecocide.
Employing a descriptive–analytical methodology and focusing on the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, this study examines the legal framework governing the commission of ecocide within the context of international law applicable to armed conflicts. The findings indicate that in the Russia–Ukraine war, deliberate acts such as the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, the devastation of agricultural lands, and attacks on the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants, along with the risks arising therefrom, may be considered potential instances of ecocide. The numerous environmental crimes committed during this conflict not only threaten the natural environment but also endanger food security, human health, and the survival of local communities. Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of recognizing and prosecuting ecocide at both national and international levels and demonstrates that environmental protection during armed conflict should be treated as a distinct legal norm and an independent crime. Such a development would