Russian Sentenced to Life in Connection to Ukraine War

Service members of pro-Russian troops wait before the expected evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel mill in the course of Ukraine–Russia conflict in Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 16, 2022. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

A Russian soldier was sentenced by a Ukrainian court on May 23 to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing a civilian.

The soldier, Vadim Shishimarin, said he shot and killed a 62-year-old civilian in late February, just days after the Russia–Ukraine conflict erupted. Shishimarin, who was captured as part of a Russian tank battalion, apologized to the victim’s widow in court.