Ukraine files lawsuit accusing Russian military of environmental destruction
It is the first court case regarding environmental crimes issued since the war began
Ukrainian environmental officials have issued a court case seeking to recover environmental damages from Russia.
The target of the lawsuit are high-ranking military officials in the Russian army, including those who led the invasion of the Ukrainian Sumy region in 2022. According to the investigation, large areas of forest were destroyed with no hope of recovery.
This is the first instance of Ukraine attempting to secure damages for environmental destruction from Russia, which invaded large parts of the country in 2022 and started the war which is still ongoing.
India: A routine seizure of wild meat led police to discover a covert commercial game-hunting syndicate responsible for the killings of at least 60 antelopes over two years. Investigators said the operation turned protected forests into “private killing grounds for the wealthy”, as those with connections were able to pay to track and kill the animals as trophies. (Times of India)
Costa Rica: Tourists should refrain from collecting seashells on Costa Rica’s beaches as it harms marine environments and could be an environmental crime. Officials warned that removing a shell could be classed as wildlife trafficking, and said that crabs, fish and algae species rely on the shells for shelter. More than three tonnes of shells were seized at the country’s airports in the past year or so. (Tico Times)
Turkiye: A lion, barely a month old, was seized in Istanbul having been trafficked into the country illegally. Two individuals have been fined. It was not clear where the lion had been smuggled from, or whether it was intended to be sold overseas or kept in the country. (Turkiye Today)
Argentina: Seventeen birds – including a blue macaw and six flamingoes – were seized from a tourist property in central Argentina. Most of the birds had had their wings cut to prevent them from flying, a practice which makes rehabilitation into the wild far more difficult. The birds have been transferred to several refuges. (Noticias Ambientales)
Indonesia: Rehabilitation centres for gibbons are struggling to meet demand amid a spike in trafficking. Experts said “misleading” social media content depicting them as potential pets is behind the increase in demand. Urban zoos are also a source of demand in Indonesia, experts said. (Mongabay)
India: Six geckos, a slow loris and 10,000kg of pangolin scales were seized during a raid in northern India. Officers flagged down two individuals on a motorbike at around 2am and found the animals and scales in their bags. The men have been arrested. (Syllad)
St Helena: Illegally importing and selling the teeth and bones of sperm whales landed a man with a $15,000 fine. The resident of St Helena Island, a British territory in the South Atlantic, was also sentenced to 30 days of house arrest. The shipments were falsely labelled to avoid detection. (Island News)
USA: Seventeen men were convicted of poaching in Idaho following a two-year investigation. Four men were stopped in October 2023 and found in possession of the heads of five deer which had been illegally killed. The rest of the deers’ bodies had been abandoned. Since 2016, the group is alleged to have killed 32 mule deer, a moose, a swan and a bobcat. (Yahoo)
Mexico: The Environmental Investigation Agency has called for action on the illegal fishing of totoaba which threatens the existence of vaquita dolphins. There are estimated to be between seven and 10 individuals left and they are threatened by fishing off the coast of Mexico. Evidence will be presented at the upcoming CITES summit. (EIA)
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