Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin has been sentenced to life in prison for war crimes by a court in Kiev. Prosecutors accused the 21-year-old sergeant of shooting dead an elderly civilian in the northeastern Sumy Region of Ukraine during the first days of the Russian military offensive, which was launched in February.

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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Thursday that his country was offered to serve as a guarantor of the prospective peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. This week, the parties held another round of talks in Istanbul, Turkey, to end Moscow’s military campaign in the neighboring country.