“I was stressed out when I did this”: Russian soldier Shishimarin makes his final plea in Ukrainian court 

Vadim Shishimarin, the Russian soldier accused of murdering Oleksandr Shelypov, a 62-year-old resident of Chupakhivka near Sumy, has made his final plea in the Kyiv court, says Ivan Baboshin, a reporter for Novaya Gazeta Europe.

“I regret doing this… I am sorry. I was stressed out when I did this. I did not want to kill this man. Unfortunately, I did it, and I’m not going to deny doing it. Our objective was to get back to the headquarters and call for reinforcements. I want to apologise once more for what I have done,” said the Russian.

He also addressed Kateryna, Shelypov’s widow. earlier: “I understand that you’re never going to forgive me, but still, I apologise,” he said to her. She believes that Shishimarin deserves a life sentence. “But I wouldn’t mind if he was exchanged for one of the Azovstal defenders,” she added.

Shishimarin’s defence attorney says an ensign named Kafurov is responsible for the murder since he commanded Shishimarin to shoot Shelypov who was talking over the phone, making the Russian soldiers think he was reporting them to the Ukrainian army.

The prosecutor, however, insisted that Kafurov was not Shishimarin’s immediate commander and that Shishimarin could have ignored the order.

During yesterday’s hearing, Shishimarin claimed to have fired a short round towards Shelypov to get Kafurov off his back. Shelypov, however, was killed by a precise headshot.

“My client was not planning this murder,” said Shishimarin’s defence attorney, claiming that the Russian was actually saving his own life as Kafurov threatened him.

“The mitigating factor in this case is that Shishimarin surrendered himself willingly and did not cause any more harm to Ukraine,” said his defence attorney, pointing out that his client was stressed out after a Ukrainian shelling when he committed his crime.

One of Shishimarin’s fellow combatants gave his court statement as a witness. He told the court that a senior lieutenant who was also in the car with Shishimarin and Kafurov reacted negatively to the murder, asking the soldiers: “Why did you do that?” He also commanded them to put their weapons in safe mode.

The prosecutor also noted that Shishimarin had committed a felonious murder: “He knew exactly what he was doing, he took three shots with an automatic firearm. He killed a Ukrainian citizen deliberately. There are so many similar cases in this war. He left a woman without her husband, and he left children and grandchildren without their father or grandfather. This case should become a prototypical one. The judge will decide whether Shishimarin’s remorse is sincere. Anyway, his guilt has been proven regardless of his remorse,” said the prosecutor.

He has insisted that Shishimarin serve a lifetime sentence. The court’s verdict will be pronounced on 23 May at noon.

Ivan Baboshin, specially for Novaya Gazeta. Europe, Kiev