The first Russian soldier on trial for war crimes is back on the stand in Kyiv. The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to shooting a 62-year-old unarmed Ukrainian civilian. In court, he had a message for the victim's widow. CNN's Melissa Bell has more. #CNN #News
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Young men sent to die and ruin their lives for the petty greediness of old men. A tale as old as time.
Its the American tale.
@Cellar Door In WW2 most soldiers were sent overseas to defend their home. Most were 18-45, the older ones than that defended their homes in WW1 … probably one of them is the reason you are here today.
Have to give credit to this young man for standing up and taking responsibility for the terrible misery he inflicted. There are many, far senior to him who have not shown that strength of character.
@Didi Ski Yes. And that was AFTER the conclusion of the war. BTW, the USA is NOT a signature to the ICC (for these very reasons)
@骑士大人 Hey, Russians aren’t the ones on video shooting POW’s in the knees and outright killing them in the street as they lay wounded. Thus far the most savage, heartless and immoral and downright illegal ( War Crime ) related videos coming out of the conflict nearly all come from the Ukrainian side. Many of which involve the Nazi Azov Battalion, which thankfully has for the most part been fully killed off and or captured.
@Donald Webster He stopped being a child when he shot that man. No sympathy for him. He knew it was wrong . In today society we have this narrative that “someone else told me to do it “or that he’s young so he’s sentence should be a bit milder…No, no, no. I don’t buy this excuse. Even police officers will end up in prison when they commit crimes. Even when his commander gave such orders. Surely he knew right from wrong, he’s 21 not 12.
@Ozymandias Nullifidian This is true. And you’re right, I wasn’t there none of us was so i really have no idea what actully happened. I’ve heard the things he’s said and his body language, but people respond to stressful situations in an unlimited amount of ways. He could have been forced into a confession as a scapegoat. But I also see the footage where they said point blank “I don’t kill innocent people” then execute them. Being a higher ranking officer you know he carried out orders. Whether he agreed with what he was doing is neither here nor there. But the fact remains that he murdered innocent people. Whether of his own accord, or following orders.
Simply Heart breaking. Putin has destroyed many cities and countless lives of Ukraine and Russia. May God bring peace to Ukraine.
@Yakiv Popavich —coughTOOLcough—-
@BB Kun It sure has.
I do feel for the young who are forced to do things they have no idea why. I agree with Phil below. The young are also victiims. Putin is sick.
They are not forced to do anything they have the right to say no and go to prison if they choose war they already decided to be followed in court for their crimes also if you dont protest against it you are saying it is the right thing to do end of discussion
The only thing in your statement I can agree to is ” Putin is sick”.
Those young men knew pretty well what they are doing. Killing, raping, stealing- all those were done willingly, w/o any remors.
I have no pity, only hate ,toward those criminals. Used to live in Kiev.
@Wolf 93 no but as he got older he could have easily left the country he could have protested against being conscripted into the military by force he could have done anything to show that he didn’t want to do what he did so again he knew what he was doing he’s just sorry because he got caught.
I feel sorry for both sides….my son is 1 year younger than him….this situation is horrible 😔
So heartbreaking. 🇺🇦 Is devastated by war. And the life of this young man is so devastated by war. May justice, mercy and peace be the end of this madness. May God bless 🇺🇦 and the victims of war, dispense justice where it is due, have mercy for repentant hearts, and reward the just and oppressed.
Well stated.
Last fight https://youtu.be/A3Xk9-Znf40
Unlike those non-devastating wars that we enter into or support???
My father said: ” A solider is a poor mans son, who protects a rich mans property”.
a solider?
Your father is a Pacifist then. Nothing wrong with that. but he doesn’t understand soldiers.
This shows the cruelty of the military making young men and women murderers and ruining the rest of their lives. I feel sad both for the widow and the young soldier.
fool…
“Prepare for a more angry world” – Klaus Schwab
That’s just the way it is. Join the military, and they own you until your contract expires.
Honestly I feel sorry for the young soldier. He seems totally distraught. It’s a harsh truth of a war, the soldiers also fear for his own life and can do crazy stuff.
@alkdklsdflkfds No, not easy to say. I was born and raised in Kharkiv Ukraine. My whole family and many friends were bombed. They were hiding in their cellars for days. They are refugees now. And I don’t feel sorry for that young man. He came to kill my family. And many more came to kill Ukrainians. I refuse to look at him as he is a victim. He committed a war crime
@Nataliya Nataliya He is a victim just like the civilians of Ukraine are. You’re painting him like some cold blooded murderer that went to Ukraine just itching to kill civilians. The story said he initially didn’t comply. That action alone could’ve put his family back at home in grave danger. Not making excuses for him because while yeah, he did commit a war crime. It’s still not right to label him as the devil itself given what we know.
@batchagaloopyTV and sometimes not even told it’s a war but in a training or peace mission like the first group was told but end up finding it’s a war.
This is a tragedy on every level. And its the same story… old men sending young men to fight and die in their wars. My generation of boys died in Vietnam, fighting a truly senseless war that accomplished absolutely nothing. At least the Ukrainians know what they’re fighting for…their country, their freedom, their lives.
As a Marine, 18yrs old, in Viet Nam, I have seen his story unfold, maybe more than I care to acknowledge. He will live with this for the rest of his life, and rue those few seconds that have made him a murderer. The people who sent him are the real murderers, but they will escape justice.
@Fernando Alegria it’s a saddening situation. Soldiers being lied to and ordered to attack civilians. They weren’t even told they were going into combat, they were told it was a training exercise. They didn’t realize they were going into combat until their helicopters began getting shot down
@Joe Swanson The Simp Hunter One has to be prepared for war. Marines are prepared for 6mos before being deployed. Everyday yelling kill kill kill and attack. Songs with disparaging remarks about your enemy are constantly repeated. The shock of being shot at if not prepared, plus your comrades getting blown up in, is a moment of insanity.
This guy knows that from this point forward the worst treatment he will ever see in Ukrainian custody will still be preferable to the best treatment he would see upon returning to the front lines. What he did was wrong, and he deserves punishment. However, it’s this guy’s commanders that bear the brunt of responsibility as if it wasn’t for their orders many civilians would still be alive.
rules of engagement, the geneva convention, military code of justice is the responsibility of the commanders. They should be on trial as well
@Rich Most people think that the ar in AR-15 stands for assault rifle. With that said, do you really think people are going to understand the conversation if I use the correct acronyms and terminology? Do you think most people would care? If you do then this conversation is above your pay grade anyways.
@ME Me What about my comment makes it that way? I’m being half serious as I could probably turn a lot of things into a whataboutism if taken out of context and presented in just the right way.
@Ron Eldrige he does tho
This made me cry 😭
It would not surprise me that this young man had no training in the concept of a war crime or of an unlawful order.
But then again.. my mind literally wonders.. what kind of human being STARTS A WAR ON THE HEELS OF A 2 YEAR PANDEMIC
A “SOCIALIST”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last fight https://youtu.be/A3Xk9-Znf40
A good puppet…thats right on time…wait…what pandemic? Oh the one we saw on tv…lmao…get your shots
This is just so sad and I’m sure some of those military men will resort to suicide when they return to Russia😔
When I was younger, one of my biggest fears was getting drafted. I never understood how young men would be willing to fight for anything besides themselves, family or friends.
So if you see an old lady getting attacked on a street corner, you wouldn’t try to help? Unless the old lady was a friend or a relative? Because that is the logical implication of what you are saying. I have never understood how people can be so narrow minded as to only view blood relatives and friends as worthy of their protection.
@fordhouse8b he’s definitely the type to record and do nothing. That’s the world we live in today.
@fordhouse8b I would help that old lady because it’s the right thing to do. I’m speaking on fighting for something as vague as “the country”. I am not defending any of my fellow neighbors if I am in another country waging war.
@Steven theres a difference in doing the right thing and just folliwing orders…you are in the right bud. Being able to think for yourself is a rarity…in a world of conformists
I’m feel so sorry for this young man, anything happened of him, that’s from putin
I feel sorry for the ukranian people, their family members are dying because of a corrupt government. Hopefully it will be over soon.
Overall sadness for both sides. This young man, only age 21 fighting a war he didn’t create, following commands he didn’t know, and now both sides are paying the price. Those who started this should be held responsible.
This young man you speak of is a soldier. A person who dedicated his life to protecting his homeland. If he was forced into this then he could have surrendered to the Ukrainians and made an example for other soldiers to follow. Instead, he commits the murder and says sorry. They won’t kill him and maybe he will live in misery, but I doubt it. A soldier’s mind is made to serve and obey. What’s really sad is how long the cold war lasted and how long we made it last. Too much bravado and foolishness in the west brought this destruction to Ukraine.