Vadim Shishimarin is the first individual to be convicted for war crimes in Ukraine.

This morning, the first court trial concluded for war crimes committed by Russian soldiers during their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The accused is Vadim Shishimarin, a 21-year-old Russian soldier who was convicted for gunning down an unarmed Ukrainian civilian back in February, a violation of international humanitarian law. Shishimarin pled guilty to this charge.

“[Shishimarin] saw a civilian on the pavement, Oleksandr Shelipov,” the court said. “Shishimarin knowing that Shelipov is a civilian and is unarmed and does not pose any threat to him – fired several shots at Shelipov from his AK-gun.”

For his crime, Shishimarin has been sentenced to life in Ukrainian prison. Kremlin representatives have dismissed the charges as “outrageous” and “staged,” and intend to seek ways to aid Shishimarin. “We do not have many opportunities to protect his interests on the ground, as foreign institutions actually have no activity [in Kyiv]. But this does not mean that we will not consider the possibility of making attempts through other channels,” said Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

According to the prosecutor in the case, Andriy Sunyuk, there will likely be more war crime charges leveled against Russian soldiers in the near future, and he hopes the threat of punishment will send a message.

“This will be a good example for other occupiers who may not yet be on our territory but are planning to come,” said Sunyuk. “Or for those who are here now and plan to stay and fight. Or maybe they will think that it’s time to leave here for their own territory.”