--- title: "Dolphin Life Jacket: Ukrainians Highlight Black Sea War Consequences at COP31 Climate Summit" description: "At the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, UAnimals and Ukrainian agencies presented the \"Break in Case of Ecocide\" installation featuring a dolphin life jacket and a report outlining five steps to hold Russia accountable for Black Sea ecocide." date: 2026-11-14T13:41:11.308Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/dolphin-life-jacket-ukrainians-highlight-black-sea-ecocide-cop31 tags: [black-sea, dolphins, ecocide, cop31, uanimals, environment, marine-life] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Dolphin Life Jacket: Ukrainians Highlight Black Sea War Consequences at COP31 Climate Summit ![Female rescuer holding a turquoise life ring and yellow life jacket against the backdrop of jumping dolphins and a sea sunset](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/14/spasatelnyy-zhilet-dlya-delfina-ukrayintsi-napomnili-o-ekotside-v-chernom-more-cop31/spasatelnyy-zhilet-dlya-delfina-ukrayintsi-napomnili-o-ekotside-v-chernom-more-cop31-1.webp) ## Key Points - At COP31 in Turkey, UAnimals, the Renaissance Foundation, and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine presented the "Break in Case of Ecocide" installation featuring a dolphin life jacket, life ring, and oxygen mask. - Scientists recorded mass deaths of dolphins and porpoises in the Black Sea in 2026, similar to 2022; all three regional cetacean species are on the IUCN Red List. - The report proposes five lines of action: demining, damage assessment, creation of marine protected areas, and holding Russia accountable. - Lawyers recommend documenting environmental losses now to submit grounded claims to the Register of Damage. At the COP31 climate conference in Turkey, the Ukrainian animal rights team drew the international community's attention to the environmental consequences of the war in the Black Sea. Organizations UAnimals, the International Renaissance Foundation, and the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine presented the "Break in Case of Ecocide" installation, which became a symbol of the call to recognize Russia's actions as an international crime and begin restoring the region's marine ecosystem. ### "Break in Case of Ecocide" Installation: A Rescue Kit That Doesn't Exist A two-meter transparent box featured a dolphin-adapted life jacket, life ring, and oxygen mask—a kit visually mirroring familiar safety equipment boxes people see in public places. According to Olha Matsko, head of strategic initiatives at UAnimals, such equipment is always at hand in an emergency, whereas for animals dying during the war, no such "kits" exist, and environmental damage often goes unnoticed. The installation aims to remind people that ecocide requires the same rapid and visible response as any other emergency. ### What Is Happening to Dolphins and Porpoises in the Black Sea Ukrainian researcher Pavel Goldin, a leading scientist at the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, notes that the death of dolphins and porpoises recorded by scientists in 2026 shares a similar character with that recorded in 2022. According to him, animal carcasses lie along the shore one after another, and all three cetacean species inhabiting the Black Sea are included in the IUCN Red List. Goldin warns that the war could push these species even closer to extinction. ### Five Directions for Holding Russia Accountable In addition to the installation, the Ukrainian team presented an analytical report with concrete steps for governments. The document proposes five areas of action to hold the Russian Federation and perpetrators accountable and restore the environment. The recovery plan includes demining the water area, assessing the damage caused, and establishing marine protected areas. The climate conference, according to the organizers, became an opportunity to remind the international community of crimes that are gradually disappearing from news feeds. ### The Legal Aspect: Why It Is Important to Document Losses Now International humanitarian law expert and PhD in Law Natalia Hendel explains that the amount of potential compensation will depend on what portion of the environmental losses Ukraine can prove. According to her, environmental losses, their scale, and their connection to Russia's unlawful actions should be documented right now. "We should start with the best-documented cases to submit well-founded claims to the Register of Damage and reduce the risk of refusals during their further review," Hendel adds. Thus, the Ukrainian delegation at COP31 combined a symbolic gesture with a practical legal program: the installation aims to bring the issue of ecocide in the Black Sea back into the global spotlight, while the report provides states with a concrete algorithm of actions to hold perpetrators accountable and restore the marine ecosystem. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Спасательный жилет для дельфина: украинцы напомнили о преступлениях РФ на климатическом саммите (фото)](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/trends/ryatuvalniy-zhilet-delfina-ukrayintsi-nagadali-1794654299.html) - Primary source: description of the "Break in Case of Ecocide" installation at COP31, quotes from Olha Matsko, Pavel Goldin, and Natalia Hendel, contents of the analytical report with five lines of action. ## FAQ ### What is the "Break in Case of Ecocide" installation? It is a two-meter transparent box containing a dolphin life jacket, life ring, and oxygen mask, presented by UAnimals, the Renaissance Foundation, and the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine at the COP31 climate conference in Turkey. ### What consequences of the war on the Black Sea do scientists note? Researcher Pavel Goldin points out the mass mortality of dolphins and porpoises in 2026, similar in character to 2022. All three cetacean species inhabiting the Black Sea are included in the IUCN Red List. ### What steps are proposed to hold Russia accountable? The analytical report proposes five areas of action, including demining the water area, investigating damage caused, establishing marine protected areas, and documenting losses to submit claims to the Register of Damage.