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At
the trial in the Kotelevska district court in central Ukraine,
state prosecutors asked for Alexander Bobikin and Alexander
Ivanov to be jailed for 12 years for violating the laws of war.
A defence lawyer asked for leniency, saying the two soldiers had
been following orders and repented.
Bobikin and Ivanov, who stood in a reinforced glass box,
acknowledged being part of an artillery unit that fired at
targets in the Kharkiv region from the Belgorod region in
Russia. The shelling destroyed an educational establishment in
the town of Derhachi, the prosecutors said.
The servicemen, described as an artillery driver and a gunner,
were captured after crossing the border and continuing the
shelling, the prosecutor general's office said.
"I am completely guilty of the crimes of which I am accused. We
fired at Ukraine from Russia," Bobikin told the court in
proceedings that were streamed live.
Asking not to be handed the maximum jail term, Ivanov said: "I
repent and ask for a reduction in the sentence."
The hearing lasted under an hour. The verdict is expected on May
31.
A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison
on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian. Russia said it had no
information about the trial and that the absence of a diplomatic
mission in Ukraine limited its ability to provide assistance.
Many more such trials are expected in both Ukraine and Russia,
which has denied targeting civilians or involvement in war
crimes.
(Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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