Two captured Russian soldiers have pleaded guilty to bombing a town in eastern Ukraine in a second Russian war crimes trial in Ukraine.
At a trial in Kotelevska, central Ukraine, state prosecutors have demanded that Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov be sentenced to 12 years in prison for violating the laws of war.
Defense attorney asked for forgiveness, saying the two soldiers were following orders and have shown remorse.
Standing in a reinforced glass canopy, Bobikin and Ivanov admitted to belonging to an artillery unit that opened fire on targets in the Kharkiv region of the Belgorod region of Russia. The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a police station in the city of Dergachi, prosecutors said.
The soldiers, an artillery driver and a gunman, were reportedly captured after crossing the border and continuing to bomb, the attorney general’s office said.
“I am completely guilty of the crimes I am accused of. We shot at Ukraine from Russia,” Bobikin told the court during a live-stream hearing.
Asked not to be sentenced to the maximum sentence, Ivanov said: “I repent and ask for a reduction of the sentence.”
The hearing lasted less than an hour. The verdict is expected on May 31.
A Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian. Russia has said it has no information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic mission in Ukraine limits its ability to provide assistance.
Many other similar trials are expected in both Ukraine and Russia, which denies targeting civilians or being involved in war crimes.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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