The first war crime trial since the Russian invasion of Ukraine will begin on May 18 in Kyiv, a young Russian soldier in the dock, suspected of having killed a 62-year-old man.

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The defendant, Vadim Chichimarin, 21, arrived in handcuffs with a shaved head at Kyiv's Small Solomiansky District Court in a gray tracksuit for the preliminary hearing on Friday, according to footage shown by Ukrainian television.

The date of the trial has been set "for May 18", in the same court, the prosecutor's office told AFP.

Mr. Chichimarine is accused of having fired a Kalashnikov through the window aboard a car in which he was traveling, killing a 62-year-old civilian who was unarmed.

According to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, the Russian soldier was traveling with four other soldiers after the attack on their convoy on February 28 and they stole a car near the village of Choupakhivka, in the Sumy region (northeast). The victim - who has not been identified - was riding a bicycle on the side of the road not far from his home, the prosecution added.

Mr Chichimarine's lawyer said his client had confessed to the murder of a 62-year-old man, without specifying whether he would plead guilty or not.

He faces life imprisonment if convicted of war crimes and premeditated murder.

In a video published in early May by the Ukrainian secret service (SBU), Vadim Chichimarine said he had come to fight in Ukraine to “support his mother financially”.

Regarding the charges against him, he explained: “I received the order to shoot, I shot him once. He fell and we continued on our way.

The Ukrainian prosecutor's office released a photo of the accused on Wednesday, without indicating the circumstances leading to his arrest.