A Russian soldier pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a 62-year-old man riding home on his bicycle in the first case of a Ukrainian court prosecuting opposition military forces during the three-month-old invasion.
Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin entered the plea in Solominsky district court in Kyiv in the shooting death of Oleksandr Shelipov.
"The prosecutor's office and the Security Services of Ukraine have gathered evidence to try this soldier for war crimes and premeditated murder. He might face 10-15 years in prison. It could also mean a life sentence," Ukraine General Prosecutor Iryna Venediktova wrote in a Facebook post.
The details and transcripts of the court proceedings were posted in real time by an independent watchdog group called "Graty," whose representatives attended the trial.
The Security Services of Ukraine detained Shishimarin shortly after he shot Shelipov on Feb. 28. He surrendered because he "didn't want to fight" and "wanted to stay alive."
Hours before the killing, Shishimarin's military column was intercepted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Some soldiers were captured, but Shishimarin and four others fled and stole a car to drive back to Russia. Shishimarin was accompanied by another sergeant and three officers – including an ensign and a senior lieutenant.
The investigation by the Security Service, aided largely by Shishimarin's cooperation, revealed that when the five drove into the village they saw a man on a bicycle and noticed that the villager was talking to someone on the phone.
"Kafurov, our ensign, told me to shoot. I refused. Another soldier who was with me at the time raised his voice and threatened to report me to higher-ups if I didn't. So, I fired a short burst," Shishimarin said in court.
Shelipov was killed instantly, 20 feet from his house. The prosecutor of the case is asking for life imprisonment.
Kateryna Shelipova, the victim's wife, testified she was the first to see her dead husband.
"I think a life sentence is just. But, I'm also open to exchanging him for some of our detained soldiers at Azovstal in Mariupol," Shelipova reportedly said.
Shishimarin told the court that he joined the Armed Forces of Russia to support his mother, who lives in the remote far east city of Ust-Ilimsk in Russia. The sergeant was receiving $550 per month for fighting in Ukraine.
Lyubov Shishimarina, the convicted man's mother, was shocked when told of her son's capture, Russian independent news agency Meduza reported.
Shishimarina was unaware of the invasion of Ukraine, claiming her son told her that he was being sent to the Ukraine-Russia border for routine military training.
"I had no idea there was a war, that something big was happening … I don't go on the internet, I don't watch TV news. I'm not interested, they just tell lies," Shishimarina said
Despite being invited, she did not attend her son's trial. Instead, she said she joined a number of mothers whose sons have been captured in Ukraine seeking ways to establish contact in hopes of returning them to Russia.
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