Widow of Ukrainian grandfather shot dead by Russian soldier tells him to ‘rot in prison’ – World News

A tank commander has pleaded guilty to the murder of a “peaceful pensioner” in Ukraine’s first war crimes trial since Russian forces invaded

The widow of a Russian tank commander who shot dead a Ukrainian grandfather has said he should “roast in prison” for his actions.

Vadim Shishimarin, 21, pleaded guilty to murder in Ukraine’s first war crimes trial after shooting Oleksandr Shelypov, 62, four times in the head.

Kateryna Shelypova told the Daily Mail her husband had been a “peaceful pensioner” for 39 years who posed no threat. Mr Shelypov had served in the Russian military as the KGB bodyguard of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

A court in the Ukrainian city of Kyiv heard yesterday (Wednesday) that Mr Shelypov was pushing his bicycle home when he was gunned down a few yards from his front door in the northeastern village of Chupachivka on February 28.

Shishimarin reportedly fired an AK-47 assault rifle from the open window of a stolen car as his unit fled Ukrainian forces who had blown up their tank.

The sergeant from Irkutsk in Siberia had confessed to shooting Mr. Shelypov on orders from a superior. The victim’s wife, 61, told the Daily Mail: “I came to see him in person. He looked like a kid but he will still get his punishment.”

She added: “I know he’s a soldier and obeys orders, but why didn’t he shoot at the ground or in the air? He should rot in prison and spend the rest of his days thinking about what he did. “

Shishimarin, along with three other Russian soldiers who were in the car with him, are being asked to testify at the trial. Prosecutors said he confessed to the murder shortly after he was arrested by police on March 1.