Abstract
Decades of experience have greatly improved familiarity with, if not always fidelity to, law of war rules applicable to attacks on enemy forces. Less well appreciated is the law of war regime applicable to other acts of violence including destruction or demolition of objects in circumstances that do not immediately involve enemy forces. As the international community investigates potential war crimes committed in Ukraine, it’s worth recalling how the law differentiates attacks against enemies from mere destruction or demolitions conducted out of contact with enemy forces, a point fine in fact but fundamental in law.