Legal Responsibility of Military Personnel for Environmental Offenses in Armed Conflicts

This article examines the legal responsibility of military personnel for environmental offenses committed during armed conflicts. It analyzes the existing international humanitarian law provisions, including the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as national legal frameworks that regulate environmental protection in wartime. Particular attention is paid to the challenges of prosecuting military personnel for environmental crimes, such as proving ecological damage, attributing command responsibility, and overcoming political obstacles to enforcement. The study highlights examples of large-scale environmental destruction in modern conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and the ecocide committed in Karabakh during the Armenian occupation. These cases demonstrate that deliberate environmental destruction can constitute not only war crimes and ecocide but also crimes against humanity. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to strengthen international and national legal mechanisms, codify ecocide as an international crime, and ensure effective accountability for military personnel responsible for ecological harm.