Russia Is Guilty of Ecocide

Aug 16, 2022 | Michael Long and Michael Lynch
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When Russia invaded Ukraine, it created not only a refugee crisis and social devastation, but also extensive environmental destruction. As scholars who have written about ecological crimes for more than 50 years combined, we can see that Russia has committed ecocide: the purposeful or negligent destruction of the natural environment through human activity. The government should be prosecuted for it. While other humanitarian issues might justifiably take priority in the short term, it’s important to remember that environmental destruction has extremely long-term impacts and can affect generations. It should not become a forgotten victim of war.