The trial of Ukrainian National Guard soldier Vitaly Markiv in Italy on charges of murdering an Italian photojournalist in the Donbas started this week on July 6.
Markiv is accused of murdering Italian photojournalist Andra Rochelli in May 2014, during the beginning of Russia’s war in the Donbas.
At the time, Rochelli and his Russian interpreter Andrey Mironov were killed by a grenade while filming a documentary near Slovyansk, a city in Donetsk Oblast that was then occupied by Russian-backed forces. Another journalist, French citizen William Roguelon, survived.
Roguelon’s testimony has become pivotal in bringing charges against Markiv, who has dual Ukrainian-Italian citizenship.
According to Roguelon, they were shelled from the Karachun mount, a high point that was occupied by Ukrainian military units. But evidence collected by Markiv’s lawyer Rafaelle Della Valle claims the opposite: the journalists were shot at from the Russian-controlled side, according to RFE/RL.
The case, however, has gained political overtones. Three organizations — The National Federation of Italian Press, the Association of Journalists of Lombardy, and the Association of Photoreporters Cesura Lab, founded by the slain photojournalist Andrea Rochelli — lodged a civil claim against Ukraine. The defendant is the Ukrainian embassy in Italy, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
Ukrainian prosecutors also claimed that the journalists were attacked in an area not controlled by the Ukrainian forces. Slovyansk was taken back in July 2014 after heavy fighting.
Nevertheless, Italian prosecutors believe the murder was intentional and are pushing for another version of the events on May 24, 2014: Markiv saw the journalists and reported to other Ukrainian soldiers despite knowing that they were shooting at civilians, reported Ukrainian TV outlet Hromadske, citing court records.
The next trial is scheduled for September, head of the Christian community of Ukrainians in Italy Oles Khorodetskyy wrote on his Facebook.
Markiv has remained in detention since his arrest on June 30, 2017.
