New Council of Europe Convention Paves the Way for Recognition of Russia’s Ecocide Against Ukraine

On May 14, 2025, the Council of Europe adopted a new Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law. The announcement was published on the official website of the Council of Europe.

The Convention is a response to the so-called “triple planetary crisis”—climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. It is the first international legally binding instrument focused specifically on the criminal aspects of environmental harm. From now on, serious environmental crimes, including those with cross-border implications, will have clear legal definitions and mechanisms for prosecution, including actions that may amount to ecocide.

The Convention allows for intentional actions that cause large-scale environmental disasters to be classified as international criminal offenses.

This development opens new legal avenues for the recognition of Russia’s environmental crimes in Ukraine—such as the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, the devastation of protected areas, the pollution of water bodies and soil, and the large-scale annihilation of forests and biodiversity—as acts that could fall under the international legal definition of ecocide.

The Convention defines and criminalizes a broad range of environmental offenses, introduces the concept of corporate liability, outlines sanctions, and addresses issues of jurisdiction. It also highlights the connection between environmental crime and the activities of transnational organized criminal networks.

The document was developed over two years with the involvement of experts from all 46 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as representatives from the EU, the UN, INTERPOL, and civil society. Its adoption by consensus reflects a strong political will to address environmental crime.

A separate section of the new Convention is dedicated to monitoring its implementation, ensuring that its provisions are effectively enforced within national justice systems.

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset called the document a “game-changer” for environmental protection:

“This Convention provides the tools to directly address today’s ecological threats and leverages the power of criminal justice to defend the Planet. It is one of the cornerstones of our new Environmental Strategy, which links nature protection with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”

In addition to the Convention, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted a long-term Environmental Strategy. It outlines five strategic priorities for addressing the escalating environmental crisis and is inspired by the principles of the 2023 Reykjavík Declaration. The strategy also includes an action plan and emphasizes the protection of nature, ecosystems, and landscapes, building on the Council’s existing agreements, such as the Bern and Landscape Conventions.

In doing so, the Council of Europe not only establishes new legal mechanisms for environmental protection but also lays the groundwork for accountability in cases of wartime environmental crimes. For Ukraine, this represents an additional tool for applying international pressure and seeking justice: the environmental destruction inflicted by Russia on Ukrainian territory is now clearly defined in international legal terms as a crime.