A Russian soldier has been given a life sentence in prison for murdering an unarmed Ukrainian civilian.
Killing an unarmed civilian during a conflict amounts to a war crime.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin pleaded guilty to the charge at Kyiv District court to killing the man in a town near Sumy on February 28th.
@benfinnegannews Russian soldier handed life sentence for killing unarmed Ukrainian civilian #news #ukraine #ukrainian #russia #russian #russianinvasion #ukrainianwar #warcrime #vadim #vadimshishimarin #shishimarin #chupakhivka #kyiv #moscow #kremlin ♬ original sound - benfinnegannews
The 21-year-old showed no emotion when the verdict was read out this morning in the Ukrainian capital.
As part of investigations, more than 10,000 possible war crimes have been identified in Ukraine.
In Ukraine's 1st sentence over Russian war crimes, 21-year-old 🇷🇺sergeant Vadim Shishimarin was sentenced to life for the murder of a 62-yo Sumy man
Court decided Shishimarin acted w/direct intent when firing 3-4 times at the civilianhttps://t.co/gD8UeGKJ6h
📷Kateryna Petrenko pic.twitter.com/L8loUvuviT— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 23, 2022
The trial has huge symbolic significance for Ukraine, which has accused Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during the invasion.
Russia denies targeting civilians as part of it's war, while the Kremlin hasn't immediately commented on the verdict.
