The hearing of 21-year-old Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin at the Kiev Court of Appeal was interrupted after an air raid siren.
Shishimarin was seen out of court by teams from the CNN in floor. The judges said they will reconvene once the airstrike siren ends.
Shishimarin is the first person to be convicted of a war crime since the invasion of Russia. He is expected to challenge the court decision handed to him in May. He was found guilty of killing a 62-year-old civilian during his mission in the Russian army in the early days of the war.
He was sentenced to life in prison on May 23.
Ukraine sentences Russian soldier to life in first war crimes trial
A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian. This is the first war crimes trial stemming from the Russian invasion that began on February 24.
Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, pleaded guilty to killing 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the village of Chupakhivka in northeastern Ukraine on February 28 after receiving orders to kill him.
Judge Serhiy Agafonov said Shishimarin, fulfilling a “criminal order” from a high-ranking soldier, fired multiple shots into the victim’s head with an automatic weapon.
Shishimarin, wearing a blue and gray hoodie, watched the court proceedings silently in a reinforced glass box in the courtroom and showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
The trial has enormous symbolic significance for Ukraine, which 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 the verdict. The Russian government has previously said it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.
Source: CNN Brasil
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