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| Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka after being ordered to shoot him |
A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russiaโs Feb. 24 invasion.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the northeastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb. 28 after being ordered to shoot him.
Judge Serhiy Agafonov said Shishimarin, carrying out a โcriminal orderโ by a soldier of higher rank, had fired several shots at the victimโs head from an automatic weapon. Read full story
โThe court has decided: Shishimarin Vadim Evgenyevich โฆ is found guilty โฆ and sentenced him to life imprisonment,โ he said.
โGiven that the crime committed is a crime against peace, security, humanity and the international legal order โฆ the court does not see the possibility of imposing a (shorter) sentence of imprisonment on Shishimarin for a certain period.โ
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.
For much of the time, he stood with head bowed as he listened to a translator who stood with two guards outside the reinforced glass box.
The trial has huge symbolic significance for Ukraine, which 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.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the verdict. It has previously said that it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.
Ukrainian state prosecutors said Shishimarin and four other Russian servicemen stole a privately owned car to escape after their column was targeted by Ukrainian forces. The soldiers then drove into the village of Chupakhivka where they saw Shelipov riding a bicycle and talking on his phone, they said.
The prosecutors said Shishimarin was ordered by another serviceman to kill the civilian to prevent him reporting on the Russiansโ presence and he fired several shots through the open window of the car with an assault rifle at Shelipovโs head. Shelipov died on the spot.
In court last week, Shishimarin acknowledged he was to blame and asked the victimโs widow, Kateryna Shelipova, to forgive him.
REUTERS
