KYIV A Ukrainian court yesterday sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's Feb 24 invasion.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing an elderly unarmed civilian in the north-east Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb 28 after being ordered to shoot at him.
Judge Serhiy Agafonov said sergeant Shishimarin, who was carrying out a "criminal order" by a soldier of higher rank, had fired several shots at the victim's head from an automatic weapon.
Shishimarin, wearing a blue and grey hooded sweatshirt, watched proceedings silently from a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read out.
The trial, which began only last week, has huge symbolic significance for Ukraine and an international lawyer told Reuters it could be the first of many.
Kyiv has accused Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during the invasion and said it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes. Russia has denied targeting civilians or involvement in war crimes.
This story is from the May 24, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the May 24, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
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