Ukrainian military confirms identity of man shot on video as Oleksandr Matsiyevsky

Representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have confirmed that the soldier, who was shot in a video that appeared on social networks on March 6, was a fighter from the 163rd battalion of the 119th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Chernihiv region, Oleksandr Matsiyevsky.

According to the Regional Directorate of the “North” Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, on December 30, 2022, Matsiyevsky along with four of his comrades, was engaged in combat with superior Russian forces near Soledar. Communication was eventually lost, and reinforcements could not come due to heavy fire.

Much is still unknown, as his comrades are either still missing or dead. However, Matsievsky’s mother recognized him, as did his son and his fellow servicemembers. TV channel Suspilne published an interview with his mother.

Before the Russian invasion, Matsiyevsky worked as an electrician in Kyiv. After the war began, he volunteered for the territorial defense of Nizhyn in the Chernihiv region. Matsiyevsky’s body was handed over to his family as part of a casualty exchange between Russia and Ukraine. His relatives identified him in a Kyiv morgue.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials stated that the man in the video was a different prisoner of war, Timofey Shadura, a soldier of the 30th separate mechanized brigade named after Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky, who went missing on February 3, 2023. At the same time, journalist Yury Butusov said that the video depicts exactly Oleksandr Matsiyevsky.