Ukraine to hold first war crimes trial over Russian invasion
The Hindu
Kyiv and Washington have repeatedly accused Russian troops of committing war crimes since the February 24 invasion.
Ukraine will launch its first war crimes trial over Moscow's ongoing invasion, bringing a 21-year-old Russian soldier to the stand, Kyiv's top prosecutor announced Wednesday.
Vadim Shishimarin is accused of killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian on February 28, firing an automatic rifle from a car window to prevent him from reporting a group of soldiers, according to a statement from Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova's office.
After his convoy was hit, Shishimarin and four other fleeing soldiers stole a car from outside the village of Chupakhivka, the statement added.
The civilian, who was not named, was riding his bicycle on the side of the road not far from his home, the office said.
"One of the military servicemen ordered the accused to kill a civilian so that he would not report them," according to the statement.
"The man died on the spot just a few dozen metres from his home."
The Russian service member, who is in custody, faces possible life imprisonment on charges of war crimes and premeditated murder.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.