Ukraine’s Prosecutor’s Office said it launched a criminal investigation into ecocide committed by Russian troops, who had blown up a dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant on the occupied territory of Kherson Oblast, unleashing an environmental disaster in the region.
“The pre-trial investigation has been initiated in criminal proceedings regarding the facts of ecocide and violations of laws and customs of war,” Ukrainian prosecutors say.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has called on the world to condemn the attack on the power plant, saying that Russia must be held accountable for its crimes against the environment and should pay compensation for the consequences of widespread flooding in the region.
“We consider the destruction of the KHPP’s dam as a terrorist act against Ukrainian critical infrastructure, which was committed to cause as many civilian casualties and destruction as possible,” said a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The attack on the plant was planned by the Russian top officials and promoted by pro-Kremlin propagandists on Russian television, the ministry added.
Ukrainian diplomats have also called on the G7 countries and the EU to impose new sanctions on Russia to target its military and nuclear industries. In addition, the ministry has said that Ukraine will initiate an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to find ways to bring Russia to justice for its actions in Kherson Oblast.
