UPDATED on 13 March at 12:31 p.m.:
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry stated that Oleksandr Matsiyevskyi had had Moldovan citizenship.
"We reiterate the firm position of the Republic of Moldova in condemning the brutal war of the russian federation against Ukraine. Our country is committed to supporting Ukraine in its efforts to return peace and stability to the region," the ministry said.
UPDATED at 8:33 p.m.:
Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded the sniper the title of Hero of Ukraine.
"To a soldier. A man whom 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!’" the President said.
The Security Service of Ukraine has finally confirmed the identity of the Ukrainian soldier who was taken prisoner by russians and shot after saying "Glory to Ukraine".
This was reported by the SBU press service.
The hero was a sniper of the 163rd Battalion of the 119th Independent Territorial Defence Brigade of Chernihiv Oblast, Oleksandr Ihorovych Matsievskyi. He was called up for service in March 2022, and since the end of December he had been missing near the village of Krasna Hora in Donetsk Oblast.
The SBU established that the sniper had been shot dead on 30 December 2022. His body was returned home in February 2023. The SBU is currently identifying the russian military personnel who committed this crime.
Background. The occupiers killed a Ukrainian defender who had been taken prisoner. The Ministry of Defence believed that the deceased hero had been a soldier of the 30th Independent Mechanised Brigade.