Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) – A 21-year-old Russian soldier facing the first war crimes trial since Moscow invaded Ukraine pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing an unarmed civilian.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin could receive a life sentence for shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian in the head through an open car window in the northeastern Sumy region on February 28, four days after the invasion.
Shishimarin, a captured member of a Russian tank unit, was prosecuted under a section of the Ukrainian Penal Code that deals with the laws and customs of war.
Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, Irina Venediktov, said earlier that her office was preparing war crimes cases against 41 Russian soldiers for crimes involving bombing of civilian infrastructure, killing civilians, rape and robbery.
It was not immediately clear how many of the suspects are in Ukrainian hands and how many will be tried in absentia.
Prosecutors plan to continue presenting evidence against Shishimarin after pleading guilty, although the trial appears to be shorter.
While the inaugural war crimes case in Ukraine, Shishimarin’s prosecution was closely monitored. Investigators are gathering evidence of possible war crimes to face the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Venediktov’s office said it was investigating more than 10,700 potential war crimes, including 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 abusing probably thousands of Ukrainian civilians.
Shishimarin’s trial began on Friday, when he briefly appeared in court while lawyers and judges discussed procedural issues. Following his plea on Wednesday, the proceedings continued until Thursday, when the trial is expected to resume in a large courtroom to accommodate more journalists.
Ukrainian authorities posted several details on social media last week after their investigation into his case.
Shishimarin was among a group of Russian soldiers fleeing Ukrainian forces on February 28, according to Venediktov’s Facebook profile. The Russians allegedly shot at a private car and seized the vehicle, then went to Chupahivka, a village about 200 miles east of Kyiv.
Along the way, the chief prosecutor said, Russian soldiers saw a man walking on the sidewalk and talking on his phone. Shishimarin was ordered to kill the man so that he could not report them to the Ukrainian military authorities. Venediktov did not specify who gave the order.
Shishimarin fired his Kalashnikov rifle through the open window and hit the victim in the head, Venediktov writes.
“The man died on the spot just a few dozen meters from his house,” she said.
The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, released a short video on May 4, in which Shishimarin spoke in front of a camera and briefly described how he shot the man. The SBU described the video as “one of the first confessions of enemy invaders.”
“I was ordered to shoot,” Shishimarin said. “I shot one (pound) at him. He falls. And we moved on. “
Russia is believed to be preparing trials for war crimes against Ukrainian soldiers.
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