Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing Ukrainian civilian
A 21-year-old Russian soldier pleaded guilty
Wednesday to killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian in the first war crimes case
Kyiv has brought since the Russian invasion three months ago.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin could be sentenced
to life in prison for shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the head through
an open car window four days after Russia launched the invasion in late February.
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Iryna
Venediktova previously has said her office is preparing war crimes cases
against 41 Russian soldiers for offences that included bombing civilian
infrastructure, killing civilians, rape and looting. It is not clear how many
of the Russians are in Ukrainian custody or how many might be tried in
absentia.
In Shishimarin’s case heard in a Kyiv court,
Venediktova alleged that he was among a group of Russian soldiers that fled
Ukrainian forces on February 28, driving to Chupakhivka, a village about 320
kilometres east of the capital, Kyiv.
The prosecutor-general said that on the way
the Russian soldiers saw a man riding his bicycle and talking on his phone.
Shishimarin, according to Venediktova, was ordered to kill the man so he
wouldn't be able to report them to Ukrainian military authorities but did not
say who gave the order.
Shishimarin fired his Kalashnikov rifle
through the open window and hit the victim in the head, Venediktova wrote in a
Facebook account.
"The man died on the spot just a few
dozen meters from his house," she said.
In a brief video account of the incident
produced by the Ukrainian Security Service, Shishimarin said, "I was
ordered to shoot. I shot one (round) at him. He falls. And we kept on
going."
Venediktova’s office has said it is
investigating more than 10,700 potential war crimes involving more than 600
suspects, including Russian soldiers and government officials. International
authorities are also investigating possible Russian war crimes, while Moscow is
believed to be working on criminal cases against Ukrainian troops.
Russia has denied targeting civilians and
accused Ukraine of staging atrocities. Ukraine says thousands of its civilians
have been killed.
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