A Ukrainian court convicted a tank unit commander of a Russian soldier for the murder of a Ukrainian civilian in the first war crimes trial since the country’s invasion by Russia, and sentenced him to life in prison.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin, captured by Ukrainian forces, was found guilty of killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov on February 28 in the village of Chupakivka in northeastern Ukraine.
Dressed in a blue and gray hooded tracksuit, Şişimarin watched the hearing silently from the glass-enclosed defendant’s chair placed in the courtroom and did not show any reaction while the verdict was read.
Sergeant Shishimarin admitted to shooting the Ukrainian civilian Shelipov at the hearings, but said he was following orders, begging forgiveness from Shelipov’s widow.
Many war crimes allegations are still under investigation in Ukraine.
Russia says its troops did not target civilians during its invasion of Ukraine, but according to Ukraine there are more than 11,000 allegations of war crimes.
The hearing held today in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was also important for Ukraine to show the world beyond any doubt that a Russian soldier killed a civilian in violation of the international rules of war.
The lawyer appointed by the Ukrainian state to defend Şişimarin before the verdict was announced told the BBC that no Russian officials had contacted the soldier on trial during this period.
In previous statements from Moscow, it was noted that they were concerned about what would happen to the Russian soldier.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitriy Peskov, in turn, said that Russia “does not have the means to protect the rights of this soldier”. The Russian embassy in Kiev is currently closed.
During the killing, which was the subject of the trial, 21-year-old Sergeant Shishimarin and the soldiers with him were trying to find their way with a vehicle they seized.
On the way they saw Shelipov talking on his cell phone. Shishimarin says he was ordered to shoot and kill Shelipov.
The defense lawyer said at the hearing last Friday that Shishimarin fired after refusing to follow this order twice, and that only one of the 3-4 bullets fired from his gun hit Shelipov.
The lawyer questioned the accusation that the defendant had intent to kill, saying that Şişimarin had to shoot for fear of losing his own life.
Katerina Shelipova, the widow of Shelipov, who was killed during the trial, told Shishimarin, “Please tell me. Why did you come to this country? To protect us? To protect us from whom? Did you protect me from my husband whom you killed?” There were dramatic moments when he said it.
The young Russian soldier did not have an answer to this question. He apologized to Shelipova, then said, “But I also know that you cannot forgive me.”
Shelipova later told the BBC: “I felt very sorry for him, but he committed such a crime, I cannot forgive him.”
