ODESA, Ukraine >> The victim was found along a stretch of beach near the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine early this summer, cause of death unknown.

On the beach was a harbor porpoise. They are washing up dead in droves on the shores of the Black Sea.

Ukrainian officials say this dolphin’s plight speaks to the savage toll that Russia’s war is taking on marine life and the environment more broadly — something they want to document for prosecution.

Four specific acts — genocide, crimes against humanity, aggression and war crimes — are recognized as international crimes. Ukraine would like to add a fifth — ecocide — and it is setting out to build its case against Russia. The autopsy of the porpoise was part of that effort.

“We right now are developing the strategy for the prosecution of environmental war crimes and ecocide,” said Maksym Popov, an adviser to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, who is specifically focused on environmental issues. “It’s not established yet.”

While people often refer to porpoises and dolphins interchangeably, they are distinct creatures that are both endangered.

In a sign of the importance that Ukraine is placing on the issue, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has included “immediate protection of the environment” in the 10-point peace plan Ukraine hopes will provide a foundation for negotiations to end the war.