Moldova Denounces Soldier’s Execution by Russians as War Crime

Moldova's foreign ministry condemned as a war crime the execution of a Ukrainian soldier of Moldovan origin, Alexandr Matievschi, by Russian forces - and the filming of his killing.

"Following confirmation by the Ukrainian side of the fact that the Ukrainian soldier executed by the Russian soldiers is Alexandr Matievschi, the MFA vehemently condemns the killing of the Moldovan citizen, an act that can be qualified as a war crime and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," it stated.

Matievschi was a sniper in the 119th Brigade of the Ukrainian army. He went missing on a mission on December 30, 2022, along with four other comrades, during fighting in Soledar. Ukraine recovered his body on February 14, 2023, following an exchange with the Russian side, his unit stated.

The identity of the soldier was confirmed on Sunday by the Kyiv authorities. He was executed in a forest by the Russians after shouting, "Glory to Ukraine!", a phrase that has come to symbolise Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion.

Matievschi was born in 1980 in Chisinau, where he lived until finishing his studies, with his mother, who was posted from Ukraine to Moldova for work during Soviet times.

An old photo of Alexandr Matievschi presented by his mother, who lives in Chisinau, to TVR Moldova. Photo: Vasile Postolachi

In Chisinau, he graduated from high school and a technical college before moving back to Ukraine, to Nijin in the Chernihiv region, near Kyiv.

One day before he was reported missing - and later confirmed dead - he had spoken to his mother on the phone, telling her he would never surrender. It was his last conversation with her.

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