A Russian soldier has been charged with killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian. During the first war crimes trial held since the beginning of the armed conflict in Ukraine, the 21-year-old soldier was condemned by a Ukrainian jury to life imprisonment.
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The Russian soldier, Vadim Shishimarin was charged with shooting in the head a 62-year-old Ukrainian civilian, in a village in the northeastern Sumy region at the beginning of the armed conflict. Judge Sergiy Agafonov said on Monday that “the court has found that Shishimarin is guilty and sentences him to life imprisonment.”
According to the Ukrainian judge, “the murder was committed with direct intent.” Last week, the young soldier declared to the court that he had shot the Ukrainian civilian under pressure from another soldier as they tried to retreat and escape back to Russia in a stolen car on February 28.
“I regret it. I regret it very much. I did not refuse and I am ready to accept any measures imposed,” said Shishimarin as he apologized and asked for forgiveness from Oleksandr Shelipov’s widow. The young Shishimarin observed the procedure silently from a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read out in Ukrainian.
The lawyer taking Shishimarin’s case, Viktor Ovsyannikov, said that he would present an appeal to the verdict with a period of 30 days to do so. “This is the most severe sentence and any level-headed person would challenge it,” said Ovsyannikov. “I will ask for the cancellation of the court’s verdict”.