4 a.m.: First war crime trial in Ukraine, against a Russian soldier
Ukrainian justice begins Wednesday its first war crime trial since the entry of troops from Moscow on its territory, that of a Russian soldier accused of having killed an unarmed civilian.
The trial, which should soon be followed by several others, will be a test for the Ukrainian judicial system, as the International Criminal Court (ICC) deploys 42 investigators and experts to Ukraine.
Vadim Chichimarine, 21, will appear from 2 p.m. before the Solomiansky District Court in kyiv, where he will have to explain himself in the death of a 62-year-old man on February 28 in northeastern Ukraine. .
Charged with war crimes and premeditated murder, the soldier, originally from Irkutsk in Siberia, faces life imprisonment.
"He understands the charges against him," his lawyer, Viktor Ovsiannikov, told AFP, without revealing his defense strategy.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, he is cooperating with the investigators and admits the facts, which took place four days after the start of the Russian invasion.
12:45 a.m .: the European Commission will unveil an energy independence plan
According to Reuters, the European Commission will unveil a 210 billion euro plan on Wednesday to enable Europe to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027 and accelerate its transition to green energy.
Russia supplies 40% of the gas and 27% of the oil that the EU imports, and the countries of the bloc are struggling to agree on sanctions for the latter.
Brussels will propose a three-pronged plan: importing more non-Russian gas, accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and stepping up energy-saving efforts, according to draft documents that could be modified before their publication.
With AFP and Reuters
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