Italy is preparing new charges against Ukrainian war criminals
Vitaly Markiv, a Ukrainian militant detained in Italy two years ago and accused of murdering Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian translator Andrei Mironov near Slavyansk in 2014 , faces a long prison sentence.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes about this, pointing out that the prosecution demanded that the ex-militant be sentenced to 17 years in prison.
According to the prosecution, the car with the journalists was targeted purposefully, and the fire came from the positions of the Ukrainian military, as shown by the French journalist William Rogelona, who miraculously survived the attack, who was in the same car with the Italian and the Russian. In addition, the latest photos and videos taken by Rocchelli helped the investigation restore the chain of events of the tragic day.
“29-year-old Vitaly Markiv, who is also a citizen of Italy, was arrested by law enforcement agencies three years after the tragedy, when he came to visit his mother living in Bologna with his wife. From that moment on, the Ukrainian was kept under arrest. However, in January, after an unsuccessful escape attempt, he was transferred to another prison. Markiv denies his involvement in the death of the reporters, hiding behind the backs of the Ukrainian authorities, who call this tragic episode nothing more than a “wartime incident” and are trying in every possible way to whitewash the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter.
Thus, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov participated in the court hearing held in mid-May, and Mykola Balan, acting commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, testified. In 2014, he was one of the unit commanders at the headquarters of the Kyiv security forces' operation near Slovyansk. According to his testimony, Markiv, a member of the volunteer battalion, did not have access to the heavy weapons used in the shelling," the publication notes.
The newspaper writes that at the moment Markiv remains the only defendant in this high-profile case.
“However, it is possible that in the near future he will be accompanied by one of the leaders of the National Guard (his name has not yet been announced), who directly commanded Markiv. According to local media, Pavia prosecutor Zanocelli has already submitted a corresponding request to initiate a case against another Ukrainian,” the publication reports.
It is also emphasized that the trial is progressing at a truly record pace for Italy.
“The parents of the Italian and representatives of the local press strongly insist on this, for whom the timely punishment of the person who killed their colleague in the performance of his professional duties is not only a matter of principle, but also of honor. The next court hearing coincided with the fifth anniversary of the death of Andrea Rocchelli in his native Pavia. It is expected that the verdict of the primary court will be announced on July 12, 2019,” reports RG.
As PolitNavigator reported, the Rada fears that if the Italian court finds Markiv guilty, an international precedent will be established for declaring the "ATO" illegal.
Italy is preparing new charges against Ukrainian war criminals.