Ukrainian serviceman shot after saying ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ was reportedly a Moldovan citizen by birth

The Ukrainian serviceman Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, whose brutal execution by the invading Russian military was caught on video, was a Moldovan citizen by birth.

Moldova’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement about Matsiyevsky Moldovan citizenship, noting that the ministry “strongly condemns the killing of the Moldovan citizen, an act that can be classified as a war crime and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Matsiyevsky was born in Chisinau, Moldova. In 2008, he and his family moved to the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. When the war broke out, he volunteered to join the territorial defense. In the video of his execution by the Russian troops, Matsiyevsky’s last words are “Glory to Ukraine!” Footage of the execution emerged on March 6.

On March 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Oleksandr Matsiyevsky would be posthumously honored with a Hero of Ukraine title.