Ukrainian investigators are gathering evidence near the destroyed Kakhovka dam as part of an "ecocide" case against Russia it plans to take to ICC.
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00:00 Ukraine`s Kachovka Dam breached in June earlier this year. What followed was an ecological
00:07 disaster, extensive flooding and the draining of a vital reservoir. Kyiv blames Russia.
00:13 It believes the dam was deliberately blown up. It`s not been proved, but it`s just one
00:18 example of how Russia`s war in Ukraine is having an impact on the environment.
00:23 Today, dozens of investigators dig into the ground, collecting dirt, taking photos and
00:29 planting small red flags in the soil.
00:31 Vladislav Ignatienko, a Ukrainian prosecutor, is conducting a world first war crimes investigation
00:38 into allegations of Russian ecocide. Kyiv plans to take the case to the International
00:43 Criminal Court.
00:44 All the stuff that was on the surface, all the water flowed further and spread it to
00:55 the ground. The dirt is collected and the animals eat their grass.
01:16 About 300 kilometers upstream, on the outskirts of Zaporizhia, this biologist is walking across
01:22 dry, crunchy ground full of mussel shells scattered across the old bed of Kachovka reservoir.
01:46 Although the ICC doesn`t recognize ecocide as a crime in itself, large-scale environmental
01:51 damage can be considered part of a war crimes case.
01:55 For the Ukrainian investigators, the charges of ecocide are undeniable. Russia rejects
02:01 being responsible. At least six months later, life is returning in the form of local goats
02:07 who at least have small shrubs to graze on.
02:09 [SWOOSH]