Beating of soldier by officer, identification of executed PoW: highlights of the day

Executed Ukrainian soldier identified

The Security Service of Ukraine has finally identified the executed soldier. It is Oleksandr Matsiyevskyi, a sniper with the 163rd Battalion of the 119th Separate Tank Brigade of Chernihiv Oblast. The SBU is already working to find the occupiers who shot Matsiyevskyi.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Scandal over the beating of a soldier by an officer

A video from Zhytomyr Oblast showed a junior lieutenant hitting a soldier. This led to an investigation, and the unit's command suspended him from duty. The man pleaded guilty and said he was ready to be punished. At the same time, he hinted that the reason for his actions was alcohol consumption.

Clashes in Moldova

Clashes broke out in Moldova during a rally of the pro-Russian party Shor. The demonstrators demanded that the authorities pay the citizens' bills, which have recently increased significantly. Law enforcement officers detained more than 50 people: they were found to be carrying prohibited items, including a knife, brass knuckles and a gas canister.

TVORCHI won't be allowed to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest?

The members of the music band TVORCHI, which will represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, are not sure they will be able to leave the country due to new border crossing rules from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

In particular, the band's participation in all promotional events before the Eurovision Song Contest is in question, and, accordingly, the opportunity to represent their country and their work.

"We hope that justice will prevail, the traitors will be punished, and we will be given the opportunity to work for the good of the country and the brand of Ukraine," they commented.

Situation at the front

According to the General Staff, Russian occupation forces continue to attempt to advance on the Bakhmut, Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiyivka, Maryinka, and Shakhtarsk axes. At the same time, the occupiers are defending themselves on the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson axes.

The local morgue in occupied Enerhodar received about 30 bodies of dead Russian soldiers, while Russia sent more troops to Donetsk Oblast.

Other important news

• iBox payment terminals have resumed operation in Ukraine. They stopped working due to the liquidation of the partner bank, iBox Bank, which accepted payments.
• The Parimatch betting company has ceased operations in Ukraine due to sanctions. The company said that it will now work to return money to customers.
• The second sowing season in Ukraine since the full-scale war has begun. 16,000 hectares of grain and legumes have already been sown.
• Russian hackers have stolen part of the data of the unreleased game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and are now blackmailing the developers. The company is not going to give in to the Russians' blackmail.
• In Kherson Oblast, the "dry law" will be canceled for one month. But the ban will still apply to the military and law enforcement officers.
• Crew-5 astronauts have successfully returned to Earth. They had been in space for more than five months.