Ukraine is preparing to open the first trial for war crimes in the context of the armed conflict which has pitted it against Russia since February 24.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian soldier, is accused of having fired a Kalashnikov through the window of the vehicle in which he was traveling, killing a 62-year-old civilian who was unarmed, explained Wednesday May 11 the office of kyiv Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova in a statement.
The accused soldier was traveling with four other Russian soldiers after their convoy was attacked on February 28 and they stole a car near Chupakhivka, a town between Kharkiv and kyiv, in the northeast of the country, the statement continued.
The civilian – who has not been identified – was riding a bicycle on the side of the road not far from his home. “One of the soldiers ordered the accused to kill [ce] civil so that he does not denounce them”noted the justice. “The man died on the spot, only a few tens of meters from his home. »
He faces life imprisonment
Vadim Shishimarin, detained, faces life imprisonment if convicted of war crimes and premeditated murder. The date of the trial has not been specified.
The prosecutor’s office released a photo of the accused, but did not specify the circumstances leading to his arrest, or what happened to the other soldiers present at the time of the alleged events.
More than 10,700 alleged war crimes involving 622 suspects have been reported to the prosecutor’s office.
Russia has been repeatedly accused by kyiv and Washington of committing war crimes in Ukraine since the start of its offensive, which has led to the internal and international displacement of nearly six million civilians, many of whom recount stories of torture, sexual assault and indiscriminate destruction.
The UK and the Netherlands have sent specialist war crimes investigators to assist local and International Criminal Court teams searching for possible mass crimes, including in the town of Boutcha, near of kyiv, where at least twenty bodies were discovered on April 2.
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