An acquittal in Russia

The prosecution and the victim's representatives are considering an appeal from the acquittal of a Russian contract soldier on charges of having murdered another soldier in Ukraine in 2022. Details here. Excerpt:

[Zaindi] Takayev shot [Magomed] Shakhbanov in the head during a feast in the courtyard of an apartment building in Pervomaisk in June 2022, according to Russian investigators. This account was corroborated by two women who were present at the scene. However, Takayev claimed that he did not kill his "comrade-in-arms," suggesting that the slain man was actually killed by unknown persons “firing from the bushes nearby."

The acquittal may have been influenced by contradictions and inconsistencies in the case file, according to Kommersant.

According to this account, however, the prosecution has "indicated the possibility of unanimous jury acquittal under potential external pressure." The accused and the victim were members of different ethnic groups (Chechen and Dagestani, respectively).