A Russian soldier on trial for war crimes since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has begged his victim’s widow to forgive him.

Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, testified in court in Kyiv that he was ordered by two cops to shoot Ukrainian civilian Oleksandr Shelipov.

He claimed that he originally rejected the order, but that he shot the 62-year-old because one of the cops insisted that Mr Shelipov, who was chatting on his cellphone at the time, could provide Ukrainian fighters their exact location.

He is accused of shooting him several times in the head with an AK-47 assault weapon through the open window of a stolen automobile in a village in northeast Ukraine’s Sumy region. The shooting took place on February 28th, the fourth day of the invasion.

If convicted of shooting Mr Shelipov, Mr Shishimarin of Irkutsk, Siberia, may face life in jail. At a hearing on Wednesday, he pled guilty to the allegations.

He urged the victim’s widow, Kateryna Shelipova, who was present at the trial, to forgive him on Thursday.

He said: “I realise that you can’t forgive me, but I’m pleading with you for forgiveness.”

Ms Shelipova stated that her husband, a retiree and grandpa of two, had gone out to inspect a blown-up Russian tank. She went on to explain that she was “arguing with him, saying it’s not safe to go out.”

“He said, ‘I’ll be fine, it is only round the corner, I’ll see you later.’ Those were the last words he said to me,” she added.

She later heard gunfire outside their home and, when the firing stopped, she left the building to discover her husband of 39 years had been killed.

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