- A Russian soldier accused of rape is being tried in Ukraine, the primary such case since Russia invaded.
- Mikhail Romanov is accused of murdering a person and raping his spouse within the Kyiv area.
- Any conviction would possible be symbolic as Ukraine by no means captured Romanov.
A Russian soldier has been charged with murdering a Ukrainian man and raping his spouse, Ukrainian prosecutors stated, and is because of stand trial in a landmark case.
Prosecutor Normal Iryna Venediktova introduced the upcoming case on social media on Monday, noting that it was the primary try and safe a rape prosecution from Russia’s invasion.
Venediktova named the accused as Mikhail Romanov, whom she stated was a part of a tank division that attacked the cities and villages round Kyiv.
—Iryna Venediktova (@VenediktovaIV) May 30, 2022
In a Fb put up, translated from Ukrainian by Insider, Venediktova stated Romanov was by no means captured, and so can be tried in his absence.
This would depart Ukraine unable to punish Romanov with out capturing hm first, even when he had been convicted.
Venediktova stated Romanov and different Russian troops broke right into a home in Brovary, a part of the Kyiv area, in March.
Felipe Dana/AP Photograph
She wrote that the lads males “broke right into a home in one of many villages and shot its proprietor. A drunk soldier, together with one other occupier, instantly after the homicide, raped his spouse a number of occasions.
“They threatened the lady with weapons and violence even relating to her little one, who was along with her on the time.
“Regardless that the accused just isn’t presently in our fingers, he won’t escape a good trial and accountability earlier than the regulation.”
The account matches a earlier incident described by prosecutors in March, which on the time was nonetheless beneath investigation. No suspect was named within the earlier account.
Venediktova advised The Guardian earlier in Might that the sufferer was in a position to establish Romanov from photos on social media.
Venediktova advised the publication that Ukrainian authorities didn’t know what occurred to him, suggesting he might have been despatched again to Russia, may nonetheless be preventing in Ukraine, or may have been killed.
The Guardian stated it had contacted Romanov’s obvious associate for remark however acquired no response. Insider was unable to find any technique of contacting Romanov.
The announcement got here after a Russian soldier pleaded responsible in Kyiv to murdering a 62-year-old Ukrainian man.
That trial, the primary of a Russian accused of any conflict crime within the invasion, resulted in 21-year-old Vadim Shishimarin being sentenced to life in jail.
Ukrainian authorities say they’ve recorded 10,000 conflict crimes dedicated by Russian forces throughout the three-month invasion of Ukraine, together with a whole lot instances of rape and sexual violence.
In one of the vital surprising instances, Ukrainian officers stated that Russian troopers raped a one-year-old boy, who later died of his accidents.
Investigators with the Worldwide Felony Courtroom are working with Ukrainian officers to assemble proof of potential conflict crimes. Russia has issued repeated blanket denials that its troops goal civilians in any approach.
