A soldier who defiantly yelled “Glory to Ukraine” before being shot dead in a salvo of gunfire was awarded the title of “Hero of Ukraine” posthumously by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The incident was captured on film and shared on various social media platforms. Oleksandr Matsievskyy, a sniper serving with a unit from the northern district of Chernihiv, was identified as the Ukrainian service member who was shot and killed by the Ukrainian government on its Telegram channel.
In his nightly video message on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that he had awarded the title of “Hero of Ukraine” to Oleksandr Matsievskyy, a soldier. “Today, I have given this title,” Zelenskyy stated. Although it has been around for more than a century, the phrase “Glory to Ukraine” only became popularized after Ukraine gained its freedom from Soviet domination. During the conflict, it has been used as a welcome on a massive scale, and it has invariably been met by the answer “Heroyam Slava,” which translates to “Glory to the Heroes.” “A man that every Ukrainian will be familiar with. A guy who will be remembered for all time because of his bravery, because of his trust in Ukraine, and because of his “Glory to Ukraine.”
“Outstandingly courageous”
It was showed that the man who was wearing a uniform and had an emblem of the Ukrainian flag on his arm was smoking a cigarette and shouting “Slava Ukraini” before he was shot and killed. The phrase “Die b**ch” is then heard being said off-screen in Russian. According to a story in the German tabloid Bild, a reporter spoke to Matsievekiy’s mother, Paraska, who shared the following with the journalist: “He stood there unarmed but proud to be Ukrainian. He never lacked for courage in any situation. At this point in time, the only weapon he had at his disposal to protect himself was to say, “Slava Ukraini.”
