The first trial of a Russian soldier for War Crimes began on Friday in Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, Sergeant Vadim Shysimarin is accused of shooting a 62-year-old civilian who was riding his bicycle in Ukraine’s Sumy region, less than 200 miles from kyiv, on February 28. Venediktova stated: “[f]or these actions, [Shysimarin] He faces 10 to 15 years in prison or life in prison.” Shysimarin has been charged with international war crimes and premeditated murder under the Ukrainian penal code. Ukraine is using its authority under universal jurisdiction to prosecute Shysimarin in Ukraine. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Universal jurisdiction refers to the assertion of jurisdiction over crimes regardless of where they were committed and the nationality of the perpetrator or victim. It is argued that it applies to a range of crimes the repression of which by all States is justified or necessary as a matter of international public order due to the gravity of the crimes and the importance of their repression in the eyes of the international community. community. The legal basis for universal jurisdiction comes from the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1954 Hague Convention. More war crimes trials are expected in the future. According to a press release from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) “received more than 300 reports of killings of civilians in cities from the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy regions” in late February and early March. Bachelet emphasized that “[w]Intentional killings of protected persons, including summary executions, are flagrant violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law, and constitute war crimes.” Bachelet’s figure is corroborated by Ukraine’s General Office, which shared a detailed breakdown of alleged civilian casualties and war crimes last month. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has also identified ten other Russian soldiers who may be charged with war crimes for alleged killings in the city of Bucha. Along with ongoing investigations into war crimes in Ukraine, the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine that occurred between March and April.