Life in prison was demanded on Thursday (May 19) against a Russian serviceman at Ukraine's first organized war crime trial, in which the 21-year-old sergeant asked for forgiveness for the murder of a civilian in the early days of the invasion.
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War in Ukraine: Russian soldier tried for war crime "ask forgiveness" from civilian's widow
Read alsoFirst war crime trial in kyiv: “By rushing, Ukraine risks getting caught in its own trap”
On the second day of the hearing, the prosecution demanded the maximum sentence for Vadim Chichimarine who, on February 28, shot dead Oleksandre Chelipov, a 62-year-old man, in the northeast of the country.
The accused, who acknowledges the facts and said he obeyed another Russian soldier, did not react to this indictment.
The hearing was then suspended and will resume Friday with the argument of his lawyer.
Previously, the young soldier had come face to face with the widow of his victim.
"What did my husband do to you?"
“
Do you have remorse for the crime you committed?
launched Katerina Chelipova.
"
I know you won't be able to forgive me, but I still ask your forgiveness
," replied the soldier with the still youthful face.
“
But why did you come here?
To free us from what?
What had my husband done to you?
“, then exploded the small woman with short hair.
Vadim Chichimarine took shelter behind the "
orders
" received and the exchange went no further.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the executioners of the civilians massacred in Boutcha identified
On the day of the murder he was in the region of Sumy with a column of armored vehicles.
After being attacked by Ukrainian forces, he stole a car with four other soldiers.
“
We wanted to go back to where our army was positioned, in Russia
,” he explained.
"
As we were driving, we saw a man talking on the phone
."
According to him, one of the soldiers in the vehicle asked him to shoot to avoid being denounced.
Vadim Chichimarine assured that he initially refused.
But another soldier, according to him, insisted: “
He told me in a firm tone to shoot, that if I did not do it, we would be in danger
".
Pressed by the prosecutor, Vadim Chichimarine however admitted that this man was not his superior and that he was not obliged to obey him.
“Fake”, according to the Kremlin
The drama took place close to the home of Oleksandre Chelipov, at the end of the morning and his wife witnessed it.
“
I had gone to draw water from the well when I heard gunshots
,” she told the bar.
"
I opened the gate, I saw the car (...) and this young man
", armed with a Kalashnikov.
When she came out of her house, she discovered her husband, his head bleeding.
"
I started screaming very loudly
."
Her voice, which had remained firm until then, broke when she described her husband.
“
He was my protector.
He was very nice, all the neighbors respected him.
»
Despite her distress, Katerina Chelipova clarified that she was not opposed to a possible exchange between the murderer of her husband and Ukrainian prisoners.
“
I wouldn't mind if he was exchanged for one of the guys from Azovstal
,” she said, referring to the Ukrainian military long entrenched in this steel site in Mariupol, who finally surrendered in recent days. .
According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office, the country has opened more than 12,000 war crimes investigations since February 24, the start of the Russian invasion.
In addition to Vadim Chichimarine, two other Russian soldiers are on trial from Thursday for firing rockets at civilian infrastructure near Kharkiv, the country's second city, in the northeast.
Read alsoCrimes in Boutcha in Ukraine: could Vladimir Putin be tried for “war crime”?
International justice is also at work, the International Criminal Court having sent 45 experts on the ground to gather evidence.
Moscow, for its part, denies any abuse.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov again on Wednesday called
the accusations against Russian troops "
fakes or staged ".
As for Vadim Chichimarine, "
we have no information so far, and the possibilities of helping him are very limited in the absence of diplomatic representation
", he said.
