Zelensky confirms identity of soldier who died shouting “Glory to Ukraine”. Oleksandr Matsievskyi is a hero of Ukraine

“Today [domingo, 12 de março] conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine on Oleksandr Matsievskyi, a soldier. A man that all Ukrainians will know. A man who will be remembered forever. For his bravery, for his confidence in Ukraine and for his ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ This is how Volodymyr Zelensky ended the video message from him that he usually broadcasts every night.

Already in the afternoon he had revealed this information on Twitter and with his message it was confirmed who was the man who died at the hands of Russian weapons shouting “glory to Ukraine”.

Tymofiy Shadura or Oleksandr Matsievskyi? Who is the Ukrainian soldier who appears in the video being executed by Russians

He was calmly smoking a cigarette and, with his eyes fixed on his captors, he launched a “Glory to Ukraine”. They were the last words he said before being shot by the Russian military who were recording the moment. A 12 second video. Zelensky promised that he would find out who did it. But at that time it was not known who the victim was either, since two battalions claimed to be one of his soldiers: Tymofiy Shadura or Oleksandr Matsievskyi.

Now, Zelensky has confirmed the identity: Oleksandr Matsievskyi. On December 29, before going missing in action in the town of Soledar, near Bakhmut, Oleksandr Matsievskyi told his mother: “I will never give up.” These were the last words exchanged between the two. The soldier, who would be 42 years old, was part of the 163 battalion of the 119 Territorial Defense Brigade.

The Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov had no doubt that it was Matsievskyi. In a Facebook post, the reporter said the soldier lived in the city of Nizhyn, in the Chernihiv region, where he worked as an electrician. He had no military experience, but ended up volunteering to join the Ukrainian army after the start of the Russian invasion. He served for several months in the 119th Territorial Defense Brigade, being transferred to Bakhmut in November of last year and to the city of Soledar the following month.

There being doubts about the soldier’s identity, his mother had no doubts. “He is my Sasha,” Praskovyia said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild. The woman recalled how, through social networks, she realized that she was her son. “It was night. I opened Facebook, she was watching a video… It was Sasha. It was a gruesome video of an execution. I was looking and I realized that he was my son. I yelled: Sasha. It was a shock.”