Ratification of the Rome Statute will be a step towards the trial of the Russian Federation for environmental crimes: Ministry of Environment

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), known as the Rome Statute. 281 people’s deputies voted for this decision, which was an important step in the direction of bringing to justice those guilty of crimes against the environment of Ukraine and compensation for damages caused by Russian aggression.
Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets emphasized, that the ratification of the Rome Statute is one of the key recommendations of the Environmental Treaty, developed by a high-level working group led by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and the former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Margot Volström.
The Rome Statute makes it possible to prosecute attacks that deliberately cause significant, lasting and serious damage to the environment, defining them as war crimes.
“One of the recommendations of the Environmental Treaty was an appeal to the assembly of states participating in the ICC with a request to include ecocide as a basic international crime in the Rome Statute. From now on, Ukraine, as a state participating in the ICC, has the opportunity to set a precedent and hold the aggressor country criminally responsible for the damage to the environment war damage“, Ruslan Strelets emphasized.
According to his words, the total amount of damage caused to the environment of Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression already exceeds 2.5 trillion hryvnias. At the same time, more than 5,500 cases of crimes against the nature of Ukraine were recorded.
“The environment cannot remain a silent victim of war. The ratification of the Rome Statute will significantly strengthen the work of the ICC in bringing the perpetrators to justice for crimes on the territory of Ukraine. Thank you to everyone who participated in the adoption of this important decision, which brings us closer to justice. From now on, Ukraine is part of a key world body of justice, which will contribute to the recognition of our issues in the international context”, — concluded Ruslan Strelets.