Ukraine is to hold a preliminary hearing in its first trial of a Russian soldier charged with raping a Ukrainian woman during Moscow’s invasion, the beginning of what could be dozens of such cases.
The suspect, Mikhail Romanov, 32, who will be tried in absentia on Thursday, is accused of breaking into a house in March in a village in the Brovarsky region outside Kyiv, murdering a man and then repeatedly raping his wife while threatening her and her child with violence and weapons.
It was not immediately clear who will represent Romanov at the trial, which will be held behind closed doors. The Guardian was unable to reach Romanov for comment and his apparent partner declined to answer questions.
Ukraine says it is investigating thousands of potential war crimes committed during the Russian invasion, which will mark its fourth month on Friday.
Russian crimes against Ukrainian civilians documented by reporters and prosecutors working Ukraine have included sexual assault, murder and looting.
Credit: theguardian.com
