The first trial for war crimes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will begin on May 18 in kyiv, a young Russian soldier on the dock, who is suspected of killing a 62 -year -old man.
Defendant, Vadim Shishimarin, 21, arrived handcuffed with a shaved head at Kyiv’s Small Solomiansky District Court in a gray tracksuit for the preliminary hearing on Friday, according to footage shown by Ukrainian television.
The trial date has already been set until May 18in the same court, the prosecutor’s office told AFP.
Mr. Shishimarin was accused of firing a Kalashnikov out the window aboard a car in which he was traveling, killing a 62-year-old unarmed civilian.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, the Russian soldier was traveling with four other soldiers after the attack on their convoy on February 28 and they stole a car near the village of Choupakhivka, in the Sumy region (northeast). The victim – who has not been identified – was riding a bicycle on the side of the road not far from his home, the prosecution added.
Mr Shishimarin’s lawyer said his client had confessed to the murder of a 62 -year -old man, without specifying whether he would confess or not.
He faces life imprisonment if convicted of war crimes and premeditated murder.
In a video published in early May by the Ukrainian secret service (SBU), Vadim Shishimarin said he went to fight in Ukraine to support her mother financially.
Regarding the allegations against him, he explained: I got the order to shoot, I shot him once. He fell and we continued walking.
The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office released a photo of the accused on Wednesday, without disclosing the circumstances leading up to his arrest.
Source: Radio-Canada