sentences:  Serial killer Andrei Chikatilo was executed in this way in 1994, just before Russia halted use of the death penalty as part of its accession to the Council of Europe.The phrase "execution by firing squad" is often incorrectly used to translate the Russian term "" ( "rasstrel").This, in general, describes any form of shooting, regardless of method, though it is more likely to refer to the single executioner who fires a bullet to the back of the head than to a firing squad.