Legal aspects of environmental terrorism in the context of the war in Ukraine: new challenges to global security

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive theoretical and legal analysis of the phenomenon of ecological terrorism in the context of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Special attention is paid to the legal nature of this phenomenon, its specific manifestations during the war, and the challenges of classifying such acts under national and international law. The study outlines examples of deliberate destruction of critical environmental infrastructure-such as the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP, mass environmental pollution, and forest arson-as instruments of terrorist influence. The article identifies legal gaps in Ukrainian legislation regarding the criminalization of ecocide as a form of terrorism and emphasizes the need for harmonization with international law. The author proposes a legal classification of ecological terrorism, highlights its key forms, and outlines effective countermeasures. It is argued that ecological terrorism, within the context of modern warfare, evolves into a global threat to international security, ecosystems, and the humanitarian legal order, and therefore requires a clear legal response at all levels