Summary Case was first war crimes trial of Russian invasion
Tank commander Vadim Shishimarin entered a guilty plea
KYIV, May 23 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's invasion.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the northeastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb. 28, four days after the invasion. read more
Judge Serhiy Agafonov said Shishimarin, carrying out a "criminal order" by a soldier of higher rank, had fired several shots at the victim's head from an automatic weapon. read more
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"Given that the crime committed is a crime against peace, security, humanity and the international legal order ... the court does not see the possibility of imposing a (shorter) sentence," he said.
Shishimarin, wearing a blue and grey hooded sweatshirt, watched proceedings silently from a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read out. He stood with head bowed, listening to a translator.
Shishmarin's lawyer, Viktor Ovsyannikov, said he was not surprised by the sentence because there had been "certain pressure from society" and said he would launch a legal appeal.
The trial, which began only last week, has huge symbolic significance for Ukraine and an international lawyer told Reuters it could be the first of many. read more
Kyiv has accused Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during the invasion and said it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes. Russia has denied targeting civilians or involvement in war crimes while it carries out what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
1/4 Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin, 21, suspected of violations of the laws and norms of war, stands inside a cage during a court hearing, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi Read More
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the verdict. It has previously said that it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.
Ukrainian state prosecutors said Shishimarin and four other Russian servicemen stole a car to escape after their column was targeted by Ukrainian forces.
After driving into Chupakhivka, the soldiers saw Shelipov riding a bicycle and talking on his phone. Shishimarin was ordered to kill Shelipov to prevent him reporting on their location, the prosecutors said.
In court last week, Shishimarin acknowledged he was to blame and asked the victim's widow to forgive him.
The court reached its verdict five days after holding its first full hearing.
Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association, said the verdict was "not surprising" and could be the first part of "a large puzzle also involving Ukrainian soldiers being held in Russia."
"If this is the baseline trial ... it sets the bar very high," he said. "For most other war crimes cases in Ukraine I suspect we'll see similar sentences because this is the baseline trial."
Additional reporting by Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague, Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Frank Jack Daniel
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whiskeydorito on May 23rd, 2022 at 13:12 UTC »
So what happened to the guy who gave the order? Is he dead or something?
debauch3ry on May 23rd, 2022 at 12:05 UTC »
I wonder if life means life in Ukraine.
twotwo_twentytwo on May 23rd, 2022 at 10:47 UTC »
For those unable to read the article due to a paywall:
KYIV, May 23 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's Feb. 24 invasion.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the northeastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb. 28 after being ordered to shoot him.
Judge Serhiy Agafonov said Shishimarin, carrying out a "criminal order" by a soldier of higher rank, had fired several shots at the victim's head from an automatic weapon. read more
"The court has decided: Shishimarin Vadim Evgenyevich ... is found guilty ... and sentenced him to life imprisonment," he said.
"Given that the crime committed is a crime against peace, security, humanity and the international legal order ... the court does not see the possibility of imposing a (shorter) sentence of imprisonment on Shishimarin for a certain period."
Shishimarin, wearing a blue and grey hooded sweatshirt, watched proceedings silently from a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read out.
For much of the time, he stood with head bowed as he listened to a translator who stood with two guards outside the reinforced glass box.
The trial has huge symbolic significance for Ukraine, which has accused Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during the invasion and said it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes. read more
Russia has denied targeting civilians or involvement in war crimes.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the verdict. It has previously said that it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.
Ukrainian state prosecutors said Shishimarin and four other Russian servicemen stole a privately owned car to escape after their column was targeted by Ukrainian forces. The soldiers then drove into the village of Chupakhivka where they saw Shelipov riding a bicycle and talking on his phone, they said.
The prosecutors said Shishimarin was ordered by another serviceman to kill the civilian to prevent him reporting on the Russians' presence and he fired several shots through the open window of the car with an assault rifle at Shelipov's head. Shelipov died on the spot.
In court last week, Shishimarin acknowledged he was to blame and asked the victim's widow, Kateryna Shelipova, to forgive him.