Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing civilian

In the first Ukraine war crimes trial since Russia invaded the country, Russian Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing an unarmed civilian. Prosecutors said that on Feb. 28, Shishimarin and other soldiers were driving a stolen car to get to a Ukrainian village near Kyiv when they saw a 62-year-old Ukrainian man talking on a phone outside his home. In a Security Service video, Shishimarin said he was ordered to shoot the man in case he reported them to Ukrainian military authorities. Ukrainian forces later captured Shishimarin’s tank unit. He could be sentenced to life in prison under Ukraine’s criminal code that deals with laws of war.

Will there be more trials? Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said her office is preparing war crimes cases against 41 Russian soldiers for offenses including bombing civilian infrastructure, killing civilians, committing rape, and looting. Prosecutors are also investigating more than 10,700 potential war crimes involving more than 600 Russian suspects. It is unclear how many are in Ukrainian custody and how many would be tried in absentia.

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