Moldovan government confirms Ukraine’s serviceman executed on video after saying ‘Glory to Ukraine’ was citizen of Moldova

Soldier of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, whose execution after saying “Glory to Ukraine” was filmed and the video spread online, was a citizen of Moldova, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration reports.

“After getting confirmation from Ukraine that the Ukrainian soldier executed by Russian servicemen is Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration strongly condemns the killing of Moldova’s citizen, an act that can be considered a war crime and a gross violation of international humanitarian laws,” the ministry’s statement reads.

The Chernihiv region media outlets previously reported that Matsiyevsky was born in Chișinău and lived in Moldova for the first 28 years of his life. According to European Pravda’s sources, after moving to Ukraine he did not give up his Moldovan citizenship, thus, legally he had dual citizenship. 

On 9 March, the Chernihiv region Territorial Defence Forces confirmed that the Ukrainian soldier shot after proclaiming “Glory to Ukraine” in the video recently spread online was Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, a sniper for the 163th battalion of the 119th Separate Territorial Defence Brigade of the Chernihiv region. According to the Security Service of Ukraine, he was killed on 30 December 2022. His body was returned to Ukraine in February 2023. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the Hero of Ukraine title to Matsiyevsky posthumously. 

The video of the unarmed soldier being shot to death after his having said “Glory to Ukraine!” spread online on 6 March. Matsiyevsky’s mother, his son Mykhailo, and soldiers from his division recognised him in the video. Matsiyevsky’s body was returned to his family as part of a POW swap between Russia and Ukraine.