A Russian soldier has pleaded guilty to killing a civilian before a Kyiv court in Ukraine’s first war crimes trial since its invasion by Russia. 

On Wednesday, 21-year-old  Sergeant Vadim Shyshimarin pleaded guilty to shooting a 62-year-old man on a bicycle in the village of Chupakhivka in the Sumy region, about 200 miles east of Kyiv, four days after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February. 

On May 4, The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, posted a short video of Mr Shyshimarin, briefly describing how he murdered the civilian. The SBU described the video as “one of the first confessions of the enemy invaders.”

“I was ordered to shoot,” Mr Shyshimarin said. “I shot one (round) at him. He falls. And we kept on going.”

If convicted, Mr Shyshimarin faces up to life in prison under Ukrainian war laws.

The war crimes trial began last week and Mr  Shyshimarin’s appearance makes it the first time a member of the Russian military will be prosecuted for a war crime since February.  

Ukraine’s prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova said her office was preparing war crimes cases against 41 Russian soldiers for various offences such as bombing civilian buildings, killing civilians, rape and looting.

Ms Venediktova said her office was looking into over 10,700 potential war crimes involving more than 600 suspects, including Russian soldiers and government officials.