A Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the village of Chupakhivka.
He claims he did not want to kill – and was under orders to do so – but said he would accept his fate.
During the trial, Shishimarin asked the victim’s widow Kateryna Shelipova – who attended the trial – to forgive him.
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