On Friday, journalists and cameras gathered in a small courtroom in Kiev’s Solomyanskyy district court, where Shyshimarin appeared in a small glass cage. Shyshimarin, accused of shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian civilian in the head, will face life in prison if found guilty of the charges brought against him under Ukrainian war-related laws.
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“THE CASE IS STRONG”
Defense lawyer Victor Ovsyanikov acknowledged that the case against the soldier was strong, but said that the final decision on what evidence to allow would be made by the court in Kiev. The case of Shyshimarin, the first war crimes trial since the war started in Ukraine 11 weeks ago, is being watched closely. Two more cases are expected to be heard in the coming days.
MORE THAN 10,000
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venicetova said they were investigating more than 10,000 potential war crimes, including murders and torture cases involving more than 600 suspects, including Russian soldiers and government officials.
THEY WERE ESCAPE
According to Venicetova’s account, on February 28, four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Shyshimarin was among a group of Russian soldiers defeated by Ukrainian forces. While fleeing, the Russians opened fire on a special vehicle and seized it. They then went to Chupahivka, a village in the Sumy region about 200 miles east of Kiev.
ORDERED TO HIT
Venicetova said that on the way, Russian soldiers saw a man walking on the pavement and talking on the phone. Shyshimarin was ordered to kill the man so he could not report them to the Ukrainian military authorities. Shyshimarin fired his Kalashnikov rifle through the open window and hit the victim in the head. “The man died at the scene a few dozen meters from his home,” Venicetova explained.