Russian soldier pleads guilty during Ukraine's first war crimes trial | USA TODAY

Russian Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is facing life in prison after pleading guilty to shooting a Ukrainian man in the head.

Shishimarin could get life in prison for shooting the 62-year-old Ukrainian man. Shishimarin was among a group of Russian troops that fled Ukrainian forces on Feb. 28, prosecutors say. The Russians allegedly fired at a private car and seized the vehicle, then drove to Chupakhivka, a village about 200 miles east of Kyiv.

On the way, prosecutors say Russian soldiers saw a man walking on the sidewalk and talking on his phone. Shyshimarin was ordered to kill the man so he could not report them to Ukrainian military authorities. Who gave the order was not revealed.

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#Ukraine #Russia #WarCrimes

[odie]

Goofy conundrum for soldiers. You do as you're told an risk this, or you get shot on the spot for refusing to obey an order in that regime. And now he's on parade in that glass box as an example. As a soldier, I feel sorry for him.

[davadh]

"In war there are no winners, only widows."

[biscaynediver]

It's always the little guys that take the fall. Where are the commanders who order this? There were blanket orders to kill civilians suspected of having made themselves enemy combatants by virtue of "arming" themselves with military information, then feeding it to Ukrainian military. This kind of show-trial is a publicity stunt. It is the higher ups who designed the strategies and gave the orders who need to be pursued. The shelling and destruction of civilian residential buildings in Kharkiv, Melitopol, Mariupol -- those were deliberate, they were part of a strategic design. Go after the people who gave the orders. What good does it do to go after a kid like this who would have been shot in the head himself by his own Tik-Tok mercenaries if he failed to carry out the orders?

[hydro]

A lot of people in this comment section are completely outraged....and understandably so. A moment of your time please. If you remember...at the beginning of this invasion it was widely reported how Ukraine began arming its citizens in defense of the homeland. They had every right to, however in doing so it also gave rise to a huge problem. I served in the military for 3 decades. In the course of my career (prior to any deployment) I was required to receive Law Of Armed Conflict (LOAC) Training. Simplified...this training basically identified the do's and don'ts when engaging the enemy. What was allowed and what wasn't. Within the training it covered the subject of enemy combatants. Once a civilian picks up arms and joins the fight...they are no longer classified as a civilian and can be targeted. For instance, if a group of combatants are firing from an apartment building (which also has civilians in it) that building is going to get targeted. This is where the problem arrises. Non-uniformed participants have come into the picture and civilian deaths occur. It's ugly and it's unfortunate. Once I heard the media state Ukraine was arming the populace I knew many innocent civilians were going to caught up and destroyed in the process. All the best for a quick and peaceful resolution to this mess. Thank you for your time.

[Jadeazu]

This young man will spend the rest of his life in prison while his commander and chief sits at home in Russia thinking about what he's gonna have for dinner this evening...

[InvestwithAlen]

He had no choice. He would have been killed if he refused a direct order. This is heartbraking. Damned if you do, damned if you dont. And that poor innocent old man.

[rogerbing]

and let's not talk about the Ukrainian army and what they did to their own people and pow's ..

[rudiruttger]

He's just part of the edge of the knife, the man holding it must face a trial as well.

[masterjay]

Of course they forced him! almost like how cheap jail court lawyers u meet by the window tell and try to convince you to plea guilty in exchange for a deal like here in New York.

[JohnMarat]

Imagine believing this wag the dog type of show....

[nobodyspecial]

Why isn't he in uniform? Under international law, as a prisoner of war, he's supposed to retain his uniform.

[tomjohnson]

Did they go by the Geneva convention or Ukraine laws? If they went by Ukraine law they broke the Geneva convention!

[AlBundy]

This is garbage... Show trial... kid was probly beaten..

[walker]

No matter how you slice it, no winners here. I hope he identifies the person who ordered him to take the shot, but this almost certainly goes all the way to Putin..

[nrutasder]

When watching this, I feel nothing but sympathy for the Russian soldier. Doomed to life in prison in war. I like the way he accepts his fate like he was prepared for this possibility and accepts that he sees why they would want to punish him and accepts his fate.

[mritter]

Ukraine learning the ways of hollywood media manipulation perfectly

[hemantchaudhari]

Trials are waste of all good on earth. War was ordered, and have nobearing what happened at war. Everything is fair in war. Ukraine unknowingly and others who helped stand trial. Exchange POW is right around. Country has right to court martial and not for trials. That is illegal trial for pow. Pow can be kept in prison without trial or release. Their cannot be court trials. Excuse them court. Leave them exclusively. Let them have their personal life because war wasn't on their mind. No pow is guilty of war crime that is bourgeois and derived language word prison, captive etc. No trials cannot be allowed allowed, any such trial is to run media and salaries machine, it is not empty revenge and is inhumane. Benefits of doubt, to all pow, war trials must be banned even if wanted by anybody.

[drmorcoch]

shooting an unarmed 62yr old civilian should be punishable by death and the sentence carried out immediately

[brendanlee]

I know what happened was wrong, but forgive that man

[joebaumgart]

"I was only following orders"- Nearly Every NAZI at the Nuremburg Trials.