On Monday, the verdict is expected to fall against a Russian soldier who in Kyiv is charged with war crimes.
Next to him then stands the man who is called “the devil’s lawyer”.
Almost all of Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion wants to see him defeated. But he has at least one man on his side – the lawyer Viktor Ovshannikov.
– First of all: I am defending a person, not a crime. It is up to the judges to judge, I’m just doing my job, Ovsjannikov told The Guardian.
– My family, my friends and colleagues support me. They know someone has to defend him. But there are those who have “encouraged” me to go to Moscow or the Donbass.
But the 43-year-old stands up, and says that he is most tired of having to explain that only a court can determine guilt.
– And as far as I know, no verdict has yet been handed down.
The Russian soldier has admitted that he shot dead a 62-year-old civilian man in the Sumy region. He has acknowledged and apologized for his actions. Viktor Ovshannikov has pleaded for his release, because he did not want to carry out what he perceived as a direct order.
Prosecutors believe the man should be sentenced to life in prison.
Finding those responsible for Russian war crimes is a priority. The case is the first of what state prosecutor Iryna Venediktova says could be many more and her office is investigating about 40 cases of war crimes.
– Of course, this is an important test and there is strong pressure from the public that he should be convicted, says Ovsjannikov.
What does he think about his client then?
– My first impression was that he was an ordinary guy, like you and me. Then, when I started working with him, I realized that what he has been doing has started to sink in.
– Sometimes I feel sorry for him, Viktor Ovsjannikov adds.