The trial of war crimes against 21-year-old soldier Vadim Shysimarin is the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He is accused of shooting dead Oleksandr Shelipov, a 62-year-old civilian man in the Sumy region of Ukraine on the fourth day of the war.

He has admitted the act, but says himself that he only obeyed orders from officers.

According to the 21-year-old, an officer insisted that the Ukrainian unarmed man, who was talking on a mobile phone, could potentially point out their positions to the Ukrainian forces.

According to his testimony, at first he did not obey the commander's order to shoot the man, but said that he had no choice but to carry it out when the order was repeated by another officer.

"Asking for forgiveness"

During Thursday's testimony, the 21-year-old turned to the 62-year-old's widow Kateryna Shelipova:

- I understand that you can not forgive me, but I ask you for forgiveness, he said in court, reports AP.

The widow Shelipova says that her husband went out to see what was going on after they heard gunfire outside their house.

When it was quiet, she went out herself.

- I ran straight at my husband, he was already dead.

Shot in the head.

I screamed, I screamed so much.

He was everything to me.

He was my protector, she said in court, adding that the soldier deserved life imprisonment.

But she also said she did not oppose the soldier being used instead to exchange prisoners with Russia, so that Ukraine could get back the Ukrainian soldiers who defended the Mariupol steelworks.

The prosecutor has demanded life imprisonment.

The trial is adjourned

The trial, which is being held in the Solomianskyi district of Kiev, was adjourned until Thursday, citing the 21-year-old soldier's not ready for a court hearing.

On Thursday, two more Russian soldiers pleaded guilty to war crimes, both of whom are accused of missile attacks on civilians.

The Ukrainian public prosecutor Iryna Venediktova has previously said that they have prepared charges against 41 Russian soldiers for crimes such as bombing of civilian infrastructure, killing civilians, rape and looting.

It is unclear how many of the suspects are in Ukrainian hands and how many will be brought to justice in their absence.