Kiev, Ukraine (AP)-A 21-year-old Russian soldier who faced first-degree war crimes following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has pleaded guilty. Wednesday To kill an unarmed civilian.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin could be sentenced to life imprisonment on February 28, four days after the attack, after he shot a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the northeastern region of Sumy for shooting himself in the back in through the car window.
Shishimarin, a captive member of a Russian tank unit, was prosecuted under a section of the Ukrainian Penal Code dealing with the Laws and Customs of War.
Ukrainian Attorney General Irina Venediktova previously said that her office is preparing cases of war crimes against 41 Russian soldiers, including. Bombing of civilian infrastructure Murder, rape and theft of civilians.
It is not yet known how many suspects are in the hands of the Ukrainians and how many will be tried in absentia.
As the first case of war crimes in Ukraine, the prosecution of Shishimarin is being closely monitored. Investigators are gathering evidence of possible war crimes to be presented at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Venediktova’s office said it was investigating more than 10,700 potential war crimes involving more than 600 suspects, including Russian soldiers and government officials.
With the help of foreign experts, prosecutors are investigating allegations that Russian troops violated Ukrainian and international law by killing, torturing and insulting thousands of Ukrainian civilians.
Shishimarin’s trial began on Friday when he briefly appeared in court before lawyers and judges who heard the case. Ukrainian authorities released some details of the investigation into his case on social media last week.
According to Venediktova’s Facebook account, Shishimarin was part of a group of Russian soldiers who fled Ukrainian forces on February 28. The Russians reportedly fired at a private car and hijacked it, then headed to the village of Chupakhivka, about 200 miles east of Kiev.
On the way, according to the Attorney General, Russian soldiers saw a man walking on the sidewalk and talking on the phone. Shishimarin was ordered to kill the man so that he would not report it to the Ukrainian military authorities. Venediktova did not specify who gave the order.
Shishimarin fired a Kalashnikov from an open window and hit the victim in the head, Venediktova wrote.
“A man died immediately a few meters from his home,” he said.
The Ukrainian security service, known as the SBU, released a short video on May 4 in which Shishimarin speaks in front of the camera and briefly describes how he shot the man. The SBU described the video as “one of the first identifications of enemy occupiers”.
“I was ordered to shoot,” Shishimarin said. “I shot him one (round). He fell. And we go on ».
Russia is believed to be preparing war crimes trials for Ukrainian soldiers.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.