Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova announced on Wednesday her office’s first war crimes indictment against a Russian soldier accused of killing a civilian.
The 21-year-old soldier identified as Vadim Shishimarin is accused of “violating the laws and customs of war” after allegedly shooting a 62-year-old unarmed civilian several times in the head on Feb. 28, just days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the time of the incident, Mr. Shishimarin was traveling in a seized private vehicle with 4 other Russian soldiers after coming under attack from Ukrainian forces, according to a pre-trial investigation conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service.
One of the other occupants of the vehicle ordered Mr. Shishimarin to shoot the man, fearing that he would report them to Ukrainian officials, according to the investigation. The man was riding a bicycle alongside the road and talking on his cell phone, and died just a few meters from his home in Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Mr. Shishimarin is currently in Ukrainian custody and faces 10 to 15 years in prison or life in prison, according to Ms. Venediktova.
Ms. Venediktova told the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe last week that her office has opened more than 9,600 war crimes investigations since the start of the war.
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• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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