Kyiv : A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old tank commander, had pleaded guilty to killing the 62-year-old man in the northeastern Ukrainian village of Chupakhivka on Feb. 28 after being ordered to shoot at him from a car.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is the only Russian official he is willing to meet, with the sole aim of ending the war. The Ukrainian leader also calls for maximum sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo as he addresses global business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, via video link. United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin reveals that some 20 countries had announced new security assistance packages for Ukraine during a virtual meeting with allies. Ukraine announces more than 13,000 alleged Russian war crimes are being probed while a court in Kyiv court sentences a 21-year-old Russian soldier to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian. A Russian diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva resigns over the war in Ukraine, in a rare sign of criticism against the Kremlin. Ukrainian officials allege they have pushed back an attempt by Russian forces to storm Severodonetsk – a key city for Moscow to gain full control of the Donbas region.