A Russian soldier facing the first war crimes trial since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine pleaded guilty on Wednesday to killing an unarmed civilian.
Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, pleaded guilty to shooting a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the head through an open car window in the northeastern Sumy region on Feb. 28, according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors say Shishimarin was commanding a unit in a tank division when his convoy came under attack. They allegedly fired at a private car and seized the vehicle then drove to Chupakhivka, a region just outside Kyiv.
On the way, they encountered the 62-year-old man riding a bicycle and talking on his phone. Shishimarin was ordered to kill the man so he wouldn’t be able to report them to Ukrainian military authorities. He fired his Kalashnikov rifle through the open window hitting the victim in the head, killing him on the spot just a few meters from his house.
“I was ordered to shoot,” Shishimarin said. “I shot one (round) at him. He falls. And we kept on going.”
With the widow of the man he killed seated in the court room on Wednesday, Shishimarin pleaded guilty to killing the unarmed Ukrainian man.
“Do you accept your guilt?” the judge asked. “Yes,” Shishimarin replied, according to BBC.
“Totally?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” he replied quietly.
Shishimarin faces a sentence of life in prison.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova office said it was looking into more than 10,700 potential war crimes involving more than 600 suspects, including Russian soldiers and government officials.
Russia has denied targeting civilians and accused Ukraine of staging atrocities.
