Kyiv court jails Russian soldier for life over war crime

KYIV • A Ukrainian court yesterday sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia's Feb 24 invasion.

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing an elderly unarmed civilian in the north-east Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb 28 after being ordered to shoot at him.

Judge Serhiy Agafonov said sergeant Shishimarin, who was carrying out a "criminal order" by a soldier of higher rank, had fired several shots at the victim's head from an automatic weapon.

Shishimarin, wearing a blue and grey hooded sweatshirt, watched proceedings silently from a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read out.

The trial, which began only last week, has huge symbolic significance for Ukraine and an international lawyer told Reuters it could be the first of many.

Kyiv has accused Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during the invasion and said it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes. Russia has denied targeting civilians or involvement in war crimes.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on yesterday's verdict. It has previously said that it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.

The court reached its verdict five days after holding its first full hearing. Mr Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association, said the verdict was "not surprising" and could be the first part of "a large puzzle also involving Ukrainian soldiers being held in Russia".

In Geneva, a Russian diplomat left his job in protest at the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, telling diplomatic colleagues: "Never have I been so ashamed of my country."

Mr Boris Bondarev, a counsellor at Moscow's mission to the United Nations, wrote in a letter that he was leaving after 20 years in the diplomatic service, decrying Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

In the letter, circulated to a number of diplomatic missions in Geneva and seen by AFP, he condemned "the aggressive war unleashed by (President Vladimir) Putin against Ukraine and in fact against the entire Western world".

This, the diplomat said, was "not only a crime against the Ukrainian people but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia".

Mr Bondarev's resignation - which several diplomatic sources said was not the first by a Russian envoy since the invasion three months ago but definitely the most outspoken - drew cheers of admiration. "Courageous!" tweeted the Netherlands' disarmament ambassador Robert Gabrielse.

Mr Hillel Neuer, who heads the Geneva-based rights group UN Watch and who was the first to tweet about Mr Bondarev's letter, urged "all other Russian diplomats at the United Nations - and worldwide - to follow his moral example and resign".

Meanwhile, Russia said yesterday that it was looking over an Italian peace plan proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine.

"We have received it recently and are studying it," Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told reporters.

He declined to provide any details, saying only that Russia would comment at a later stage.

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations have been held regularly, both in person and via video-link, since the Russian military offensive began, but have essentially ground to a halt.

Russia's lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Sunday that Moscow was willing to resume negotiations but the onus was on Kyiv.

"Freezing the current negotiations and putting everything on pause is not our initiative," Mr Rudenko said.

"We will be ready to resume as soon as Ukraine shows a constructive position and at least provides a reaction to the proposals submitted to it."

The Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers met for inconclusive talks in Turkey in March, followed by a meeting of the delegations in Istanbul, which also failed to bring about concrete results.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS