One of his comrades-in-arms describes the attack by Wagner’s troops

A video of the execution of a Ukrainian soldier by Russian troops, released online, has become a new symbol of alleged war crimes in the country. After taking the time, finding different witnesses, here is the story of the last hours of the new hero of Ukraine. Radio France’s special correspondents in Ukraine, Thibaut Lefebvre and Eric Audra, with the help of Yacher Fassilov, collected the testimony of a soldier who fought with him.

Andrïï Homoliako, mAbandoned since the start of the war, A staff sergeant in the 163rd^e Defense BattalionUkrainian regional nse. On December 29, He was sent to the front of the city of Soledar in the Donbass. I amThe next day, he was in battle, in a trench, With Oleksandr Matsiyevski. A few hours later, the latter captured by the Russians. “We were preparing trenches. Two hours later, the Russians attacked the left flank, where we had 20 soldiers, including Oleksandr Matsievsky’s division. Andrïï Homoliako says. His task with four comrades was to hold the left side of this trench from which Wagner’s men attacked. Their aim was to get as close as possible and throw grenades en masse. They came within 20 or 30 meters of where Oleksandr was. They threw their grenades. After 20 minutes of fierce fighting, one of the five called for help, his legs mutilated. We moved towards them under constant bursts of automatic weapons and shells. We didn’t win, so we went back and that’s when we noticed five players were missing.”

“Bullets flew in his face”

On January 8, the battalion withdrew from the Soledar front. Three weeks later, During the exchange of about fifty bodies Soldiers with the Russians, The body of Oleksandr Matsievsky Returned to the Ukrainian army. He is later identified by the family. Later, in mid-February, he was buried in Nidge’s cemetery. North of Kiev.

“During the ceremony, I was by his mother’s side. We talked a lot and she told me about her son, Again says Andrïï Homoliako. I asked in what condition you saw the son’s body. She told me she recognized his body, but his face was riddled with bullets so that only half of his skull remained. But she recognized him by the size of his limbs, his build, his mole and his scars.

V.SInformation confirmed byr Mother of Oleksandr Matsievsky, who declined our interview requestHe was the mayor of Nidge who knew the family well and Soldier Division Commander: Ten A few days before he passed away, He gave her a badge He identified himself in the video.