My unarmed son was executed by Russian troops after declaring ‘glory to Ukraine’ – Putin should be tried for war crimes

The heartbroken mother of a Ukrainian prisoner killed by the Russian military after declaring “glory for Ukraine” insisted Vladimir Putin should be tried for war crimes against her son.

Tragic footage shows Oleksandr Matsievskyi unarmed42 years old, was shot through by a machine gun bullet after taking one last puff of a cigarette.

4

4

4

The moment before he was shot dead by Russian soldiers, Matsievskyi pronounced “Slava Ukraini”, which means “glory to Ukraine”.

Paraska Demchuck, 67, Oleksandr’s grieving mother, said how she watched the footage – only to later recognize the brave soldier as her son.

Paraska, from Nizhyn in the north Ukrainerecounted how she cried in shock after seeing the last moments of her only son.

She told The Sun: “In January, I was informed that Oleksandr was missing.

“All I know is that there was a war with the Russians and he was gone.

“His body was returned in early February as part of the exchange of fallen soldiers. That was the first time I learned of his death.

“And then, as if from heaven, the video appeared. And I cried out ‘Sasha, Sasha’ – the name I gave him.

“Everything was like an epiphany – I wanted to know how my son died, and then I saw him.”

Oleksandr and four colleagues engaged a larger Russian army near Soledar when he was captured on December 30.

He was filmed standing tall in a shallow trench, smoking, before being shot multiple times.

The shooting death of Oleksandr, a merchant electrician, is now the subject of a war crimes investigation.

Paraska added: “When I saw the look on his face in the video, I realized there was nothing he could do. I understand this is the end.

“We had an agreement that if he was injured and bleeding to death, he would call me and say to me three times: ‘Yes, yes, yes!’

“But in the video he says, ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ And God gave me the opportunity to hear these words.”

Oleksandr, described by his mother as hardworking, principled and persistent, signed up to fight as soon as the war began.

She said: “Sasha said he couldn’t sit back.

“His grandfather defended his homeland during the Second World War. So he went to war without hesitation.

“The last time I spoke to him was on December 29th – he called me and said I should come pick up a package with the new uniform he was given.

“He never had to wear it.”

President Zelensky posthumously awarded the Hero of Ukraine medal to the sniper and presented Paraska with the Hero of Ukraine award to her son during a ceremony in Kyiv.

He described Oleksandr in a nightly speech as “‘a man all Ukrainians will know. A man who will be remembered forever.”

‘PUTIN SHOULD FACE JUSTICE’

In Oleksandr’s hometown, Nizhyn, a plan is underway to name one of the streets after him. They also wanted to erect a monument to the brave soldier.

Paraska today welcomes the arrest arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes – and said that her son’s death should be add to the list.

The International Criminal Court has charged the Russian tyrant “illegal deportation” of children from Ukraine – a War Crimes under the Geneva Convention.

But Paraska hopes that one day Putin will be brought to justice for the murder of her son.

“My son has become a symbol of the indomitability of the Ukrainian people and I am extremely proud of that,” she said.

“We hope and believe that he will one day be held accountable for all war crimes committed, including the murder of Oleksandr.

“He is a war criminal and he must face justice.”

ONE The Sun’s investigation into missing children in Ukraine in September revealed that thousands of children were deported during Putin’s invasion.

Ukraine’s human rights director, Dmytro Lubinets, said 16,226 children had been deported and the country had managed to bring back just 308 of them.

The Hague-based court has now said there are “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin is personally criminally responsible” for the crimes.

Ukraine hailed the arrest warrant as a “historic decision”.

Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of atrocities during its disastrous year-long invasion of Ukraine.

Despite the subpoena, Putin today broke the cover when he was discovered in Crimea.

The Russian president has appeared in the disputed Ukrainian territory of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Putin’s forces in 2014.

In a short clip posted on Russia’s VK social network, Putin, 70, can be seen walking with difficulty and bowing.

He was seen opening an art school and a children’s center in the port city of Sevastopol.

4