On the issue of creating a methodology for investigating ecocides

The methodology for investigating ecocides has not yet been developed, therefore, practitioners are unable to fully use criminalistic achievements in the field of criminalistic methods of investigating crimes to organize and conduct the investigation of criminal cases in this category of crimes, including for planning investigations and putting forward versions. The creation of an ecocide investigation methodology is difficult because traditionally methods are created by analyzing the positive and negative experiences of investigating criminal cases in the category of crimes under study, but given the enormous public danger of ecocides, waiting for the accumulation and analysis of experience in investigating such crimes to form an investigation methodology is unacceptable, it is necessary to find alternative methods for creating an ecocide investigation methodology. The purpose of this study is to analyze possible ways to create a methodology for investigating ecocides. The tasks include studying the concept of ecocide and its place among other crime groups. The research methodology is based on the analysis of those groups of crimes that can be considered criminalistically most similar to ecocides and serve as the basis for further development of methods for investigating ecocides. The results show that ecocides are the closest to environmental crimes. Conclusions are drawn about the need to use methods for investigating environmental crimes as a guideline for creating methods for investigating ecocides.