Russian soldier appears in Kyiv court charged with a war crime
THE TRIAL of a Russian soldier accused of killing a Ukrainian civilian has opened, marking the first war crimes case since Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour.
Sgt Vadim Shyshimarin, 21, appeared in a glass cage in a Kyiv courtroom, accused of shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the head in the village of Chupakhivka.
The killing occurred in the early days of the war, when Russian tanks advancing on Kyiv were unexpectedly overrun and retreated.
Shyshimarin, a member of a tank unit captured by Ukrainian forces, admitted shooting the civilian in a video posted by the Security Service of Ukraine.
“I was ordered to shoot,” he said of the killing on February 28.
“I shot one (round) at him. He falls. And we kept on going.”
Shyshimarin’s video statement is “one of the first confessions of the enemy invaders”, according to the Ukrainian security service.
The hearing lasted about 15 minutes.
Shyshimarin was asked a series of questions, including whether he understood his rights and whether he wanted a jury trial.
He declined the latter.
His lawyer Victor Ovsyanikov acknowledged that the case against him is strong, but said the final decision over what evidence will be allowed will be made by the court.
He did not indicate what defence he will offer. The soldier could face life in prison.
Meanwhile, British officials have said Russia lost significant numbers of troops and important equipment when Ukrainian forces thwarted their attempt to cross a river in the east.
Russia’s campaign in Ukraine’s the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas has made faltering progress.
Ukraine’s airborne forces command has released photos of what it said is a damaged Russian pontoon bridge over the Siversky Donets River and several destroyed or damaged Russian military vehicles nearby.
Ukrainian news reports said troops thwarted Russian passage across the river earlier this week, leaving dozens of tanks or military vehicles damaged or forcing troops to abandon them.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that Russia lost “significant” elements of at least one battalion tactical group – about 1,000 troops – as well as equipment used to quickly deploy a makeshift floating bridge while trying to cross the river.
“Conducting river crossings in a contested environment is a highly risky manoeuvre and speaks to the pressure the Russian commanders are under to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine,” the MoD said in its daily intelligence update.
They have struggled to do so even after diverting troops from other parts of the country to the Donbas, the statement said.
Some analysts initially thought the campaign in the Donbas might offer Russian President Vladimir Putin an easier battleground, after his forces failed to overrun the capital Kyiv.
Instead, Russian and Ukrainian troops have fought village by village.
The Ukrainian military chief for the eastern Luhansk region said that Russian forces opened fire 31 times on residential areas the day before, destroying dozens of homes, notably in Hirske and Popasnianska villages, and a bridge in Rubizhne.
I was ordered to shoot. I shot one (round) at him. He falls. We kept on going. Russian solider Vadim Shyshimarin, 21, on trial for shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man.