Kyiv: A Russian soldier accused of war crimes in Ukraine has pleaded guilty to killing a civilian.

Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian tank commander held in Ukraine, was charged with murdering a 62-year-old civilian in the north-east Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on February 28. He told the court that he pleaded guilty.

Russian army Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin has pleaded guilty to killing a civilian during the invasion of Ukraine.Credit:AP

If convicted, Shishimarin faces up to life imprisonment.

The Kyiv government accused Russia of atrocities and brutality against civilians during the invasion and said it had identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes.

Russia has denied targeting civilians or involvement in war crimes and accused Kyiv of staging them to smear its forces.

Ukrainian state prosecutors have said the soldier and four other Russian servicemen fired at and stole a privately owned car to escape after their column was targeted by Ukrainian forces.

The Russian soldiers drove into the village of Chupakhivka where they saw an unarmed resident riding a bicycle and talking on his phone, they said.

They said Shishimarin was ordered by another serviceman to kill the civilian to prevent him reporting on the Russians’ presence and fired several shots through the open window of the car with an assault rifle at the civilian’s head. The civilian died on the spot.

AP, Reuters

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