KYIV: The first Russian dogface on trial for war crimes in Ukraine asked for “ remission” in a Kyiv court on Thursday and described how he shot dead a servicewoman in the opening days of Russia’s irruption.
“ I know that you won’t be suitable to forgive me, but nonetheless I ask you for remission,” 21- time-old Russian sergeant Vadim Shishimarin said in court, addressing the widow of a 62- time-old mercenary whom he admitted killing.
Shishimarin faces possible life imprisonment in Ukraine on charges of war crimes and premeditated murder in a corner war crimes trial against Moscow’s forces.
Two other Russian dogfaces are in court for crimes against civilians, as Kyiv launched a judicial reckoning for alleged atrocities after nearly three months of the war.
Shishimarin told the court that he shot the mercenary as he and several other Russian dogfaces were retreating to return to their units in Russia.
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The dogfaces plant a mercenary auto, a Volkswagen, which they commandeered to “ get to where our army was and go back to Russia”, Shishimarin said.
“ On our way as we were driving, we saw a man. He was talking on the phone. He said he’d give us up.” Shishimarin said another dogface in the auto, who he said wasn’t his commander and whom he called an “ unknown” dogface, “ told me to shoot”.
“ He started to say in a forceful tone that I should shoot,” he told the court.
“ He said I would be putting us in peril if I didn’t. I shot him at short range. It killed him.” Judges questioned him in Ukrainian, with a practitioner rephrasing for Shishimarin — who’s from the Siberian region of Irkutsk — into Russian.
The payoff took place near the vill of Chupakhivka on Feb 28, four days into Moscow’s irruption.
The dogfaces also took a mercenary interned as they retreated into the timber, Shishimarin said, claiming they didn’t harm him. The Russians also “ freely” gave themselves up to Ukrainian forces. The immature-looking dogface, dressed in a slate and blue hoodie, looked towards the ground with his head leaning on the glass defense box where he was held as Kateryna Shelipova witnessed her hubby’s death.
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“ What did you come then for, to free us from what?” Shelipova asked the Russian dogface, pertaining to Moscow’s claims that its colors are liberating Ukrainian homes.
“ What did my hubby do to you?” she said, adding that she was getting water from a well when she “ heard the shot”. She also saw an auto and “ a youthful man in it with a rifle. I remember him well”, she said, pertaining to Shishimarin. “ Five twinkles latterly I saw my hubby. He was dead of a shot in his head.
I started screaming veritably loudly.” She said the incident took place around11.00 am.
“ My hubby was in mercenary apparel. In a fleece and trousers,” she said.
Another interned Russian dogface who was in the auto, 20- time-old Ivan Matysov, told the court that the third unknown warrior in the auto “ cried in a commanding tone” to Shishimarin to shoot the servicewoman.
Both dogfaces — Matysov and Shishimarin — said the third man wasn’t a more elderly officer, suggesting Shishimarin wasn’t obliged to follow the order to shoot.
The Kremlin on Wednesday said it wasn’t informed of Shishimarin’s case.
His counsel said he hadn’t had any contact with Russian officers.
Kyiv says it has opened thousands of war crimes cases since Moscow launched its irruption.
