On August 24, 2019, Maryna But, a member of the Ukrainian community in Italy, received a letter from Vitaliy Markiv, written on August 9, 2019 from his place of detention in Pavia, Italy.
Here is part of Vitaliy’s letter. We can only read, admire and support the spirit of this young Ukrainian fighter.
Senior sergeant of the National Guard of Ukraine Vitaliy Markiv was arrested in Italy on June 31, 2017 on charges of complicity in the killing of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian translator Andrei Mironov near occupied Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast in May 2014. Markiv has consistently denied his complicity in the incident. The trial started on July 6, 2018; there have been 17 court hearings. On July 12, 2019, the Pavia court sentenced Vitaliy Markiv to 24 years, a verdict that stunned the defense, the prosecution and those following this trial.