“Some kind of lightness appeared that I saw how my son died.” Journalists talked to the mother of the man shot for “Glory to Ukraine!” fighter

This week, a video of the execution for the words “Glory to Ukraine!” has spread on the Web. Ukrainian fighter. As previously reported, it could be 42-year-old Timofey Sharuda. But Praskovya Demchuk, a resident of the city of Nizhyn, recognized her son on the footage that spread through telegram channels. His name is Alexander Matsievsky. The fact that on the video, it was he, was also confirmed in the Regional Directorate of Territorial Defense Forces “North” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The history of the fighter and the mother’s story about him recorded journalists of “Suspilne Chernihiv”.

Alexander Matsievsky was 42 years old. Before the full-scale invasion, he was an electrician in Kyiv, after February 24, he volunteered for the territorial defense of Nizhyn. In the spring, he defended the Chernihiv region as part of the 119th brigade of the territorial defense forces. At the end of 2022, the unit performed tasks in the Donetsk region. He did not tell his mother that he was holding positions near Soledar.

He never liked us to say goodbye. When he walked, they knew they were coming, and he returned, crossed himself, crossed the house and himself, said goodbye to me. Said, “Mommy, you’re so old.” And I said: son, such a time that I’m going through. And he: “Mom, thank you for life.”

On December 29, he called his mother. This was their last conversation.

“Mommy, take care of yourself! Take care of yourself!” And that’s all. And I cried so much and said: “Son, you most importantly take care of yourself!”. I seemed to feel and said: “You save yourself for me. I will survive, and you save yourself for me.

On December 30, 2022, Alexander and four of his brothers were on a mission from which no one returned. It was a shooting battle near Soledar.

– A heavy shooting battle immediately ensued, we got direct contact with our enemy and from the first minutes we received certain losses. Unfortunately, we lost contact with the group where Alexander Matsievsky was located along with four other servicemen. As soon as we tried to approach, there was immediately a danger of losing even more people, – said the commander of the unit, Alexander.

The circumstances of the death of Alexander Matsievsky were unknown until March 6. On that day, a video shot on a phone showing the execution of a Ukrainian serviceman appeared on social networks. This happened immediately after the words: “Glory to Ukraine.”

“I didn’t sleep the night, it seems to me. But some kind of lightness appeared and some kind of ray that I saw how my son died. And it’s so hard, but I really, as if I saw the character of my son, so steadfast, indestructible, because he said: “Mom, I will never surrender.” He even repeated this at night: “Glory to Ukraine.” He was so fighting, so brave and fearless that I can’t tell you.

By position, Alexander was a sniper, but in that battle he was with a machine gun, his unit commander says. In the video, a serviceman is already without ammunition and bulletproof vest at a hole dug in the ground.

— I have no doubts. This is indicated by several signs associated with the figure of a person, with the way he holds himself. All the people, and I, who served with him, will recognize without a doubt his voice, his facial expressions, the specific and characteristic wound of the eyebrow, the elements of clothing and this chevron. I am inclined to believe that Alexander was taken away, and given that he is standing in a hole without a weapon and without equipment, he was forced to dig his own grave and all they could do was give him the last cigarette, – said the commander of the unit Alexander.

During the exchange, Oleksandr Matsiyevsky’s body was returned to Ukraine. The certificate of cause of death states that the man died from a wound as a result of a firearm.

– I found strength in myself and watched this video, and I compared. When I was at the identification of the body, two holes were pierced from the shoulder in the heart, two holes were pierced from the second shoulder, a hole was made in the right side, and the head fell through. There was no face, there was only this eyebrow, and he even has a sticker there. I recognized his chest, his figure, his hands.

Alexander Matsievsky was buried on February 14 in Nizhyn.

Recall that on March 7, the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Ostrozhsky reported that, according to preliminary data, on the video of the execution of a Ukrainian soldier, probably a soldier of their brigade.

– Indeed, there was preliminary information that the soldier lost by the military belonged to the 30th mechanized brigade, but it was with a certain degree of probability. We conducted our own investigation and talked with the mother of the deceased, with the son, with brothers, with the platoon commander, and by various signs, the mother recognized, the son recognized, his friends and comrades found out that it was him, – says the head of the public relations service 119- of the Territorial Defense Brigade Sergei Kalinichenko.

He died for this flag. He died for: “Glory to Ukraine.” I didn’t want to live at that time, I was already looking for a place for myself, but since my son asked that mom, you just live, he knew what I should live for, ”says the fighter’s mother.