The 42-year-old was captured by the Russians along with four other Ukrainian soldiers.
His execution made him a national hero. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Sunday confirmed the identity of the soldier seen in video being shot dead, after several official sources gave two different names.
“Investigators from the SBU established that the shot Ukrainian soldier … was a sniper from the 163rd battalion of the 119th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Chernihiv region, Oleksandr Igorovich Matsievskiy,” investigators said in a statement.
Prisoner in Donetsk region
In the dozen-second video in question, which was widely shared in early March, we see a scarred man in military uniform but disarmed, smoking a cigarette before shouting “Honour to Ukraine!” and mowed down by machine gun fire.
The SBU’s announcement comes days after multiple official sources within the Ukrainian army gave two different identities – including that of Oleksandr Matsievskiï – perpetuating confusion.
Oleksandr Matsievskiï, “born May 10, 1980 in Moldova”, according to the regional branch of the “Northern” section of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was captured by the Russians while he was in the eastern region with four other Ukrainian soldiers Donetsk.
In the past few days, the mother of the deceased had testified in a television report and confirmed his identity.
The SBU investigators also say that they are sure of the identity of Oleksandr Matsievsky “after an examination”, “communication with relatives of the deceased”, “analysis of photos and videos”, and also “the results of the forensic examination”.
In his daily address on Sunday evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the “bravery” of this Ukrainian soldier.
“Today I awarded Oleksandr Matsievsky the title of Hero of Ukraine – to a soldier, to a person who will be well known to all Ukrainians. A person to remember forever,” he declared solemnly.