A court in Kiev on Monday sentenced a Russian soldier convicted of war crimes to life in prison, the first such decision since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when the president in Davos called for an end to all trade with Russia. .
As the Russian bombardment focused on eastern Ukraine, all eyes were on Kiev, where the first trial of a Russian soldier on Ukraine’s war crimes was held on Monday.
Vadim Shishimarin, 21, confessed to killing a 62-year-old civilian who pushed his bike while talking on the phone.
“The court (Vadim) found Shishimarin guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment,” said Judge Sergiy Agafonov.
At a hearing last week, Shishimarin said he regretted what had happened and sought “pardons”, justifying his actions based on “orders” received from the victim’s widow.
However, prosecutors said he fired three to four bullets with the intent to kill the civilian.
The court also found him guilty of willful manslaughter. “The murder was committed with direct intent,” said the judge.
Shishimarin’s lawyer, Viktor Ovsyannikov, said he would appeal the decision. This historic sentence is expected to be followed by others, as Ukraine has reported more than 12,000 cases of war crimes since February 24, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
Stop trade with Russia
As the resolution was read, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the end of all trade with Russia and the imposition of “maximum” sanctions possible on the first day of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Sanctions should be like this, they should be maximum… And I don’t think there are any such sanctions against Russia yet,” Zelensky said in a video conference speech in front of a hall that stood up to applaud him.
Western countries impose economic sanctions on Russia. However, while the USA and the UK have stopped oil imports, the European Union has not yet reached an agreement on this issue due to the dependence of some of its members on Russian oil and gas.
The President said, “Russian oil should be embargoed, all Russian banks should be closed without exception, the Russian technology sector should be abandoned. There should be no trade with Russia.”
Many companies have ceased operations in Russia, and on Monday, American coffee giant Starbucks announced that it is closing 130 of its stores in the country, a decision similar to that taken by McDonald’s last week.
Shortly after, the Pentagon announced that twenty countries had offered new aid packages to Ukraine.
“We had a very productive meeting today,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “Many countries donate artillery ammunition, coastal defense systems, tanks and other armored vehicles.”
Pray, the only consolation -After failing their initial goal of taking Kiev, Moscow forces are now focused on securing and expanding their military gains in the Donbass region and the southern coast of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that “active hostilities” from Russia were advancing towards the eastern city of Severodonetsk, with heavy fighting in the vicinity of Bakhmut.
“Papaşna [próximo a Severodonetsk]Bakhmut, Mariupol: Russia razes the region with artillery and planes, and then with troops [russas] Enter,” Ministry spokesman Oleksander Motuzyanyk told reporters.
The governor of Lugansk, Sergiy Gaidai, said that Russia sent thousands of troops to occupy this part of Donbass and launched a massive attack on Severodonetsk.
“Stay in the bunker because this intensity of bombing doesn’t allow us to round up people and take them out,” he said.
Moscow is trying to strengthen its authority in some areas that fell into the hands of the Russians. In Kherson, the first major city to be occupied, the local government announced the introduction of the ruble as its official currency, along with the Ukrainian hryvnia.
Prayer is the only consolation for civilians under fire.
In Bakhmut, Maria Mayashlapak gazes at her dilapidated home after a missile hit her kitchen and left a crater in her garden. “I was praying in the morning, asking God for protection,” the 82-year-old woman said.
According to the United Nations, more than six million people have fled Ukraine due to the conflict, which has already displaced eight million internally.
Russia must “pay a long-term price” for its “barbarism in Ukraine”, US President Joe Biden said in Tokyo on Monday during his Asia tour.
“This isn’t just about Ukraine,” Biden said. “If sanctions are not sustained in many ways, how do we send a signal to China about the cost of an attempt to take Taiwan by force?” he asked.
Russia announced Monday that it has received Italy’s proposed peace plan and is working on it.
The two warring sides began negotiations after Moscow’s failed attempt to take Kiev, but the negotiations were unsuccessful despite several talks in Turkey.
Still in the diplomatic field, a member of the Russian delegation at the UN in Geneva announced in a letter seen by AFP that he was resigning because he was against the war: “I’ve never been more ashamed of my country,” he said.
source: Noticias
