It is the first trial and – if the Ukrainian judiciary and the International Criminal Court have their way – hundreds could follow. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office has announced the first war crimes trial against a Russian soldier. According to Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, a 21-year-old Russian man is accused of killing a civilian who witnessed the theft from the window of a stolen car.
Escape in the stolen car
After an attack on his convoy in northern Ukraine on February 28, the soldier reportedly wanted to flee with four comrades in the stolen car. The 62-year-old civilian was therefore on his bike not far from his house. He was unarmed.
According to prosecutors, 21-year-old Vadim Shishimarin shot the man on the orders of one of his comrades because he witnessed the theft. Shishimarin is in Ukrainian custody and faces a life sentence for war crimes and murder.
Investigations into kidnapping
Attorney General Wenediktowa said on Wednesday evening in the ZDF “heute-journal” that her work was taking place under difficult conditions because her authorities were denied access to the contested areas. This is the case, for example, in the port city of Mariupol.
When asked what she could say about the forced deportation of Ukrainians, Venediktova said she and her team were investigating. “There are adults as well as children,” she said. However, the work here is also very difficult because she has no contact with the abductees, since their phones are often taken away from them.
International Criminal Court
The government in Kyiv and the US government hold Russia responsible for a number of war crimes in Ukraine, including in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. The International Criminal Court has already started its investigations there. There is “sufficient basis for assuming that both war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in Ukraine,” the chief prosecutor said. The investigation should focus on possible crimes committed by all parties in the conflict. Russia has not recognized the criminal court – neither has the USA.