Ukraine Prepares For First War Crime Trial Against Russian Soldier

Ukraine's prosecutor general has revealed the country is ready to launch its first war crimes trial since the Russian invasion began almost three months ago.

The first trial will involve a Russian soldier who allegedly killed a civilian as he was trying to escape Ukrainian fighters, while other planned trials involve two Russian prisoners of war who have been accused of targeting or murdering civilians during the conflict, and a soldier who allegedly killed a man before raping his wife.

The cases mark some of those that have been filed or are ready to be submitted by the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general, led by Iryna Venediktova, which has registered more than 10,700 crimes since Vladimir Putin's forces invaded on 24 February.

Soldier Vadim Shysimarin, 21, is currently being held in Ukrainian custody after being accused of murdering a 68-year-old man while fighting in the Sumy region in north-east Ukraine.

He is alleged to have shot the civilian, who was riding on a bicycle in the village of Chupakhivka, on 28 February while driving a stolen car with four other soldiers, The Guardian reports. According to prosecutors, Shysimarin was ordered 'to kill a civilian so he would not report them to Ukrainian defenders'.

Shysimarin's case was filed at a criminal court this week, with a spokesperson for the prosecutor general saying: "Prosecutors and investigators of the SBU [Ukrainian secret services] have collected enough evidence of his involvement in violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder. For these actions, he faces 10 to 15 years in prison or life in prison.”

This is my purpose: To make Putin and his forces pay for what they have done. While courts around the world are working to hold Russia accountable, the bulk of the investigation – and the largest number of prosecutions – will be done by Ukraine itself. @APhttps://t.co/up9NUnfnbc

— Iryna Venediktova (@VenediktovaIV) April 16, 2022

It is not yet known when the first trial will begin.

The news comes after the UK's attorney general, Suella Braverman QC MP, visited Ukraine on Monday, to meet with Venediktova as part of the UK’s support for Ukraine’s investigations into potential war crimes. Braverman and Venediktova discussed what more the UK can do to help bring war criminals to justice.

Braverman commented: "Russia has brought barbarity to Ukraine and committed vile atrocities, including against women. I am pleased to have led the UK delegation of war crimes experts to Ukraine and to have met those leading Ukraine’s journey to justice, including the indefatigable Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova."

The Attorney General was honoured to meet the indefatigable @VenediktovaIV today in #Ukraine alongside top war crimes experts. Russia has brought barbarity to Ukraine and must be held accountable for its atrocities. Slava Ukraini!
We #StandWithUkraine https://t.co/scMHNhK5F4 pic.twitter.com/SSn5kSje0z

— Attorney General (@attorneygeneral) May 9, 2022

"I am determined that British expertise will help Iryna and her team to uncover the truth and hold Putin’s regime to account for its actions. Justice will be done," the attorney general added.

Other cases that have been filed in criminal court include those of two Russian soldiers who allegedly carried out artillery shelling of homes and civilian buildings in a village in Kharkiv district, and that of a soldier named as Mikhail Romanov, who is accused of breaking into a house in the Brovarsky region, murdering a man and then raping his wife.

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